


Rise of a New Power

by Dock872210



Series: Ophisverse [3]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, Family, Gen, Olympian Politics, Second Gigantomachy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-11-14 04:34:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 87,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18045584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dock872210/pseuds/Dock872210
Summary: [Sequel to Little Protogenoi's Tales/The Search for Home] A new age dawns on the world of the Olympian gods as powers both ancient and new rise. As the Earth Mother awakens from her slumber, Ophis, the young protogenos of Space and Time, fights to make a place for herself in this volatile time in the realm of legends. [X-posted on FFN]





	1. Prologue: A tea party among sisters

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Prologue: A tea party among sisters**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

It was a beautiful day in New York City. The sun was shining brightly in the sky and the wind was blowing just strongly enough to keep things cool.

It was in this idyllic atmosphere that Ophis was entertaining her sisters with a tea party in the dining room of her Waldorf Astoria home.

"Ophis, where's Nico?" Hestia asked. The eldest daughter of Kronos and goddess of the hearth was in the guise of a nine-year old girl with mousy brown hair and wearing a modest dress.

"Spending some time alone with Big Brother Hades." Ophis, the seven year old daughter of Kronos and protogenos of Time and Space, replied as she served her guests their tea. The youngest of Kronos' children had tied her waist length ebony hair into a long tail which she held in place with a white bow and was dressed in one of the many gothic style dresses she liked, this time in her favored colors of black and white.

Demeter, the second of Kronos' daughters and goddess of Agriculture, currently in the form of a striking woman with wheat blonde hair and wearing a green dress, snorted at the mention of her hated brother/son-in-law and his illegitimate son.

Her displeasure was shared by her younger sister, Hera, the queen of Olympus, who likewise sneered. Though her ire came more from her domain as goddess of home and family which meant it was likely directed mainly towards Nico, who as the product of an affair, she saw as a insult to Hades' marriage to his wife Persephone. Displeasure that presented itself in a frown that marred her otherwise perfect beauty. She had the figure a supermodel, long licorice-black hair, a regal and unapproachable face and large, soft brown eyes

Privately, Ophis thought both Demeter and Hera were trying a little too hard in terms of their choice of appearance. As gods they could of course choose how their physical forms looked but to always choose such excessively beautiful forms? It seemed to the young primordial that they were trying to compensate or hide something.

Not that she would ever tell them that.

She liked to maintain a cordial relationship with her sisters, thank you very much.

Something that it seemed her sisters desired as well, if their lack of a verbal response to the mention of Hades and Nico were anything to go by. They both knew by now that Ophis would not tolerate insults towards either of the men that she regarded as her beloved Big Brothers.

That said, Ophis was not above playing nice a little to defuse the tension slightly. As such, she turned to Demeter, "Big Sister Demeter, thank you for all that cereal you sent me as a "Welcome to the family" gift. I still haven't tried all of it yet, but I've liked what I've eaten so far."

The goddess of the seasons smiled at that, clearly overjoyed that her gift had been appreciated. "Just call me Demeter, dear. And really? Well, there is plenty more where that came from. I can send it over to you if you want."

The Great Serpent panicked a little at that. She might have liked trying out all the different types of cereal she'd received from her sister, and had even made doing so into something of a game. But she didn't want to eat nothing but cereal and if what she'd heard about Demeter's obsession with it was anything to go by, that might be what she'd be forced to do if she agreed. Thus she hastily backtracked, "Err… Maybe after I finish what I already have first?"

Hestia and Hera both smiled in amusement at Ophis' predicament.

_The traitors._

"Just tell me when you do. I'll send over more for you to try right away." Demeter said with a smile, apparently undeterred or perhaps just oblivious to Ophis' obvious hesitation. "It's wonderful to finally have someone who appreciates them. Someone who finally knows that grains are wonderful-"

The goddess of the harvest was thankfully cut off from launching into a rant about the benefits of grains by Hera, "Oh, please stop Demeter. We came to spend time with Ophis, not to listen to you rant about your favorite topic."

Demeter looked put out by this, but she nevertheless acquiesced, leaning back in her chair and taking a sip of her tea to hide her frown.

"Thank you, sister." Hera acknowledged the youngest immortal's gratitude with a nod. One which seemed just a tad condescending, but since neither Demeter nor Hestia seemed to make a fuss about it, Ophis just filed it away as just her imagination.

"Ophis, dear, may I ask why we're meeting here and not on Ogygia?" The matron of women began, gesturing at their surroundings. "Surely, it would be more fitting to have this gathering at your new seat of power?"

"I'd thought of that, Big Sis- Err.. Hera?" Ophis cut herself off and hastily corrected her terms of address at the sharp look her elder sister sent her, only continuing when she received a smiling nod in reply. "Well, as I said, I thought of that. But Ogygia is kinda just a giant construction site right now and not the best place for a tea party. So I decided to have it here at home, instead."

Hestia beamed when Ophis called the suite, one she'd gifted her little sister before the primordial had even known their relation or her nature, her home. A smile which only broadened when Ophis shot her a grateful look.

"No need for thanks, Ophis." Hestia said as put down the cup of tea she'd been idly sipping and reached across the table to clasp her youngest sister's hand lightly. "It's only appropriate that I give you a gift to welcome you to the family after all."

Demeter nodded encouragingly even as she ate one of the biscuits that Ophis had laid out.

Hera looked between her sisters for a moment before sighing. "Am I the only one here who hasn't given Ophis a welcoming gift, yet?"

"Yes." The older goddesses chorused. Hestia chidingly, while Demeter was more smug than anything.

"Big Brothers Hades, Poseidon, Chiron and even Zeus gave me presents too." Ophis supplied helpfully.

"Even Zeus?" Hera said incredulously.

"He gave her a gift voucher for Aphrodite's Boutique. It's where she picked out all those dresses of hers." Hestia explained, smiling pleasantly as she recalled what she considered the first sign of healing in the strained relationship between her brother and sister. Ophis personally thought Hestia was reading too much into Zeus' gift. He probably saw it as nothing more than satisfying the formalities.

Hestia eyed the dress that Ophis was wearing more closely for a moment, before a smirk spread across her face. "I'd bet that your tastes had the staff in quite a tizzy?"

"For a while." Ophis acknowledged with a nod. "They wanted to dress me up like some Disney princess at first. It took them a while to actually accept that I didn't want that and to help me get things I wanted instead."

"They're like that. Always trying to dress customers up in a style that _they_ think is best." Demeter commented with a nod. "But once they get their act together, they are excellent at finding clothes that you like and also make you look the best."

Hera and Hestia nodded.

"Fine. I guess I'll send you a gift. Just to avoid duplicating gifts, what did Hades and Poseidon send you?"

"Big Brother Hades gave me a couple of "Get out of the Underworld for Free" cards," Ophis declared, summoning the two nondescript laminated cards into her hands and waving them for her sisters to see. "And Poseidon is helping me build some walls."

The sea god had once raised the walls of Troy, walls so durable that they withstood the armies of the Greeks for a whole decade during the Trojan War. And those were walls he built while he was stripped of his godly powers and made mortal as part of his punishment for his role in the Olympian Riot. The walls he was now building for Ophis would be much, much more durable.

"Walls?" Hestia asked curiously as she leaned back into her seat after having leaned in close to get a look at Hades' gift. "For Ogygia?"

"Not quite." Time and Space Embodied hedged.

"This has something to do with how Ogygia is, in your words, 'a giant construction site'?" Demeter observed as she refilled her tea.

Ophis just kept mum, she wasn't ready to explain what she doing just yet. Not when things had barely begun.

"It's part of my plans to deal with the upcoming crisis and let's leave it at that." Ophis suggested.

The two oldest goddesses shifted uneasily at the mere mention of what was coming. In contrast, Hera seemed approving of what Ophis had said.

"So you have your own plans in the making as well, Ophis? Good."

Ophis nodded even as a frown spread across her face and she turned to the goddess of marriage, "Hera, are you sure you want to go through with your plan?"

Demeter and Hestia both shot Hera uneasy but unsurprised looks.

_So they know about Hera's plan as well? Maybe they can help me convince her to not go through with it._

"Of course." The queen of Olympus said confidently.

"But it's so risky." Ophis warned, looking to the other two goddesses for support but found none. Hestia and Demeter instead choosing to pretend to be more interested in their tea and some of the snacks that Ophis had provided.

"Perhaps." Hera acknowledged with a wary nod. "Nevertheless, it's still the best way we can prepare for _her_ return and the war to follow."

Ophis just sighed, it seemed there was no dissuading Hera from her plan.

"Alright. If that's what you think you need to do to prepare for Gaea's rise, then so be it."

All three goddesses flinched at mere mention of the Earth Mother's rise and with good reason. The protogenos of the Earth was a being so far beyond the power of the gods that it would be foolhardy to not be terrified at the prospect of fighting her. As a protogenos herself of equal and perhaps greater power, Ophis was another matter altogether but to her sisters, Gaea was someone to be feared.

"I will not interfere with your plan." Ophis continued, politely pretending not to notice their reactions. While fearing Gaea was natural for the goddesses, their pride as divinities would never allow them to admit to it. Thus it was only polite for Ophis to allow them this pretense. Not that this was on Ophis' mind as she spoke, no this was mere reflex on her part. Instead, her mind was primarily focused on something else entirely.

_Damn it! Everything is going just like how Rachel said that it would! If it keeps going on like this, then that means even the terrible things in the future that she warned me about will come true too. But if this is the case… Then I'm gonna have to use this to further my own plans. That way, maybe at least some good will come out of this._

"Thank you-" Hera began only to be cut off by Ophis.

"No need for thanks, Hera. I want something in return for this. Consider it your "Welcome to the family" gift to me."

"You make it sound very important, Ophis. What in the world could Hera offer you that you cannot acquire yourself?" Hestia asked curiously, knowing full well that Ophis would be reasonable in her request.

Demeter and Hera herself, were clearly far less confident of this and looked at Ophis warily.

Smiling disarmingly, Ophis began to explain. "Well, I'd like some help with…"

* * *

**And here's the prologue to the HOO portion of the Ophisverse.**

**I hope you all liked it.**

**To be honest, I'm quite mixed about this prologue myself. It's a lot more fluffy, and a lot less serious than I initially intended. I quite like it how it turned out. However, I'm not too sure whether it serves the role as a prologue that teases what is to come like I'd intended it to be as the fluff might be a little too distracting.**

**Tell me what you think in a review.**

**Now onto something more general, namely how I treat constructive criticism. To understand this, you'll first need to understand my posting schedule. At the time that this chapter gets posted, I'd have completely finished writing the whole fic. That's how I like to do things. I hate unfinished fics and will do my best to avoid adding to their numbers, hence only posting finished fics. I'll still only post a new chapter each week though as I discovered this to be the ideal frequency to get reviews. And I do want constructive criticism and will edit things if I think it's valid, however don't expect me to rewrite the whole completed story or even large chunks of it just because of a single critique. If a valid criticism requires that I'll take it to heart and take it into account in my next project. I'm not going to redo months of work and stall my posting schedule in the face of criticism.**

**Anyways that's all I have to say, so till next time, peace.**


	2. A Praetor goes questing

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Chapter 1: A Praetor goes questing**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

It was a overcast Californian morning when the notables of Camp Jupiter and New Rome, Senators, the two Praetors, the legion's centurions and the Augur, along with the fifth cohort as their escort and followed by a small crowd of curious onlookers climbed Temple Hill to attend the consecration of the city's newest temple.

Amid the many grand temples that the demigods and legacies of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata had erected on the Hill to venerate their gods, this new temple stood out. For it was one of the few that lacked a roof of any kind. Instead it consisted of a ring of columns made of alternating white and black marble roughly 10 meters across, at the center of which stood three altars.

The three altars were arranged such that the two smaller altars flanked a central much larger one. The one of left of the central altar had a statue of a snake with a bow tied around its head coiled within a lily flower on a pedestal before which there was a low table for offerings. It was dedicated to the daughter of Ophis, Lily.

On the right was an altar to the protogenos' handmaiden that consisted of a similar arrangement but held a statue that had the upper body of Fidi Douli's human guise and the lower body in the shape of her serpentine one.

Both of these altars were full of offerings, laden down with dead rats and dormice for Lily and casks of fine wine for Fidi. But the amount of offerings made to the two paled in comparison to the mountain of sweets and confections that had been laid out on the offertory table before the statue of the temple's chief matron, Ophis.

Looming over this bounty of tribute was the imposing statue of the Great Serpent, Time and Space Embodied herself. It was a massive statue that showed the lower portions of the great protogenos' serpentine body coiled while she raised her upper body so her head could peer down at those who would appear before her, all while her immense wings were spread so wide they barely fit within the confines of her temple.

With the offerings made, the Romans took a step back as the Augur stepped forward to make the ceremonial sacrifice to complete the temple's consecration. He was a the skinny 18-year-old youth with blond hair, crazed blue eyes, pale skin, and was wearing a white toga over a blue shirt and jeans. Just as he raised his ceremonial knife to disembowel the stuffed teddy bear that he'd prepared for the occasion, a blinding black and white flash interrupted him.

"What?" Octavian, the Augur, shouted as he regained his sight and noticed the teddy bear was missing. It was not the only thing missing, for all the prepared offerings had also disappeared.

The blond legacy of Apollo was not the only one confused by what was going on though, as many of the Romans threw each other looks while others, the legionaries in particular, drew or clasped the hilts of their weapons. The two Praetors, tried to calm the crowd and were just managing to do so when they were interrupted by the next surprise of the day.

In other situations, Octavian would have inwardly complained about the inability of the two to manage something so simple quickly. But he had to admit that considering the situation he would have been unlikely to have managed any better.

"Umm... This candy is very nice." The voice of a young girl echoed across the hill.

Spinning around to face the source of the voice, the Romans found Ophis - in her mortal guise of a seven year old - sitting on the offertory table before her statue kicking her legs merrily. All while Lily was draped over her shoulders with a rat's tail sticking out of her mouth, the teddy bear that Octavian had been about to sacrifice clutched in her arms, and her loyal servant, Fidi, standing behind her looking disappointed.

"The teddy is nice too. I think I'll keep it. Better than cutting it open." Ophis said with a look towards Octavian, who could only nod.

"Thanks." The powerful deity said with a smile, before turning to her servant. "Fidi, stop pouting. It's unbecoming. You can have your wine later. For now, you're on the job and like Nico said, you shouldn't be drinking at work."

The handmaiden just nodded dutifully, schooling her features into a professional mask.

While this exchange was going on, the Romans finally seemed to realize that they had been graced by the visit of one of their gods and quickly fell to their knees in respect. Octavian naturally followed suit.

Seeing that the Romans were kneeling before her, Ophis began surveying the lot of them. It was clear that she was assessing each of them somehow, but whatever she was looking for she wasn't finding it. She was passing over one Roman after another in quick dismissive glances. Even the Praetor Reyna only received a cursory glance.

When her gaze fell on Octavian, though, she held steady. For a moment, the legacy felt honored that he had earned the attention of such a mighty divinity. But that pride evaporated quickly when he realized she wasn't assessing him so much as glaring at him. He gulped at the obvious disapproval and tried his best to think of what he'd done to offend her.

_Was she upset about the teddy bear?_

His discomfort grew to the point that he was about to speak up and ask her the reasons for her anger, when she turned her gaze away. He was still confused but the relief of not being subject to her anger for the moment washed that away. He could ponder about it later.

The protogenos' gaze returned to wandering through the crowd in her seemingly aimless winding pattern, before she settled on the other Praetor, Jason Grace. The oh-so-perfect son of Jupiter with his classical Roman good looks that made him look like an ancient statue made flesh, his electric blue eyes, tidy, military cropped blond hair and that small scar on the corner of his lip that according to the girls gave him a 'roguish touch'. Frankly, Octavian thought he was a little too perfect.

Like with Octavian, Ophis settled her eyes on the Praetor for a long moment. The other boy reacted much as Octavian himself had, with surprise. But where Octavian had hid this behind a facade of polite calm, the son of the sky god visibly fidgeted.

_Pathetic._

Ophis however did not share Octavian's sentiments. As she seemed satisfied with whatever she found in the Praetor, smiling and nodding at him.

By this point, the Romans had been kneeling in silence for a good five minutes and they were all getting antsy. As such, it seemed Reyna had finally decided to act.

_Or maybe it's because her 'boyfriend' is all flustered?_ Octavian thought uncharitably even as the young woman with piercing black eyes and glossy black hair spoke up.

"Lady Ophis, do you like your new temple?"

Fidi Douli sent Reyna a glare at speaking to her mistress without permission, but Ophis waved her off and replied.

"I like it. You built it just how I wanted it." Octavian gritted his teeth at that. Usually temples to the gods were built either in emulation of famous ancient temples dedicated to them or based on designs divined by the Augurs, like himself. But Ophis had broken with that tradition by simply delivering, via Mercury Express, a set of blueprints that she wanted followed. Something that he couldn't help but take as an affront to his office.

"I like the offerings too. They're all very nice." The young goddess continued ignorant of Octavian's righteous indignation, even going so far as to fish another of the candies that had been offered to her from a pocket in her dress and popping it into her mouth.

It was so insulting that she would think so little of the office of the Augur that she would rather snack than acknowledge her offense and apologize for it.

"Lady Ophis?" The Great Serpent hmmed in acknowledgement at Reyna's questioning tone, which the Praetor took as permission to continue. "You've been staring at my fellow Praetor for some time now. May I ask why?"

"Oh that?" Ophis said with a shrug as she finally looked away from the other boy to face Reyna. "I'm just evaluating him for the special one person quest I want to send him on."

This revelation sent whispers flying through the crowd of Romans as they tried to make sense of what was happening. It was rare enough for a god to issue a quest in person, but even odder for it to be issued to a Praetor. That was practically unheard of. Especially, one that had to be carried out alone.

_Yet another attempt to set him out as special? Damn him!_

The noise of the crowd seemed to snap Grace out of whatever had caught his tongue.

"My Lady, what Quest would you like me to do for you?"

* * *

Ophis smiled innocently at the son of Jupiter, "So you're accepting this quest then?"

"Yes, My Lady." The boy said with easy determination.

Ophis blinked at that. How could he agree without hesitation like that? She imagined even Nico would be more wary of accepting a quest from her. He'd at least ask what it was about first before agreeing. And he was her Big Brother who trusted her with his life. Why then did this boy, who hardly knew her, accept such a potentially dangerous task without any of that caution?

This surprise, she noted, was not limited to herself however but was something that his fellow Romans felt as well if their confused mutterings about his behavior were any indication. Even Lily who had been barely paying the conversation so far any mind, choosing instead to focus on digesting the plump rat she'd chosen to eat first from those offered to her, was surprised enough to look at Jason Grace like he'd grown a second head.

_I think, my Lady, that the boy is hoping this will let him escape the limelight a while._ Fidi offered telepathically. _I've smelt his unease the whole time we've been here and from his reactions, I'd guess it's from everyone paying so much attention to him._

_That's just silly. Having people's attention is a good thing._ Lily opined.

Ophis stroked Lily's scales even as she shushed her telepathically. _Hush, Lily. Sometimes attention isn't good at all. I should know. When I was a prisoner on Mount Othrys, I hated all the eyes on me too. Jason must feel something similar._

The trio's telepathic conversation had dragged on a little too long however and it seemed that it had given the Romans enough time to think the worst of Ophis' intentions. Some had begun to angrily murmur that they thought that the Daughter of Saturn was arranging this quest for Jason as a way to kill him for his part in helping defeat her father.

_Idiots. I'd thank him rather than punish him if he played any part in that._ Ophis noted with a roll of her eyes.

_Or you'd just smite him for it, if you were so inclined._ Fidi replied in agreement.

Reyna was trying to rein them in but was making slow progress at best.

"Enough!" Jason said, silencing the crowd before turning back to Ophis. "My Lady, the details?"

Ophis smiled at Jason and began to explain.

* * *

"Go to the Sea of Monsters through the Clashing Rocks, sail through the watery land of abominations and seek the monstrous naiad and get me a pint of her blood." Jason Grace, Praetor of Camp Jupiter, repeated the instructions Ophis had given him regarding his quest, as he stood at the prow of his rented motorboat while looking with trepidation at what lay ahead of him.

In front of him was the aforementioned Clashing Rocks, an area of the ocean filled with massive jagged spires and islands of rock garlanded with the remains of crushed ships and bodies that were rolling past each other in a chaotic pattern. It served as one of the entrances to the Sea of Monsters, and was the first major obstacle the demigod had to face on his quest.

True, he'd encountered a handful of monsters on his way to Miami, where he'd picked up the boat, but that hadn't been anything too exciting. Just a few empousai and the odd ventus.

_Thank the gods that I at least know from the get-go what I need to do._ Jason mused, pleased that Ophis apparently doesn't like prophecy riddles, she had even said so, and had dialed it down as much as she could when she issued her quest. Puzzling out the specifics of the prophetic riddles that launched quests was sometimes the hardest part of the whole thing.

Not that it cleared up all the confusion. What in the world would a protogenoi need with the blood of Charybdis?

"I guess it's just not my place to know." The son of Jupiter said with a shrug as he fished out the gift that was supposed to help him get past the Clashing Rocks. It was a piece of chalk that Ophis' snake of a daughter, Lily, had given him for his rat being the tastiest of the offerings that had been presented to her on the day her mother's temple was consecrated.

"How is this supposed to help me?"

For a long moment, he stared at the chalk and tried to figure it out. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't come up with anything. Giving it up for a lost cause, he put it away.

_I guess I'll just have to wing it._

Returning to the boat's controls, Jason gunned the engine and sent the boat straight for the Rocks. At the same time, he used his powers to summon a cocoon of air to shield the boat.

For five thrilling minutes, through sheer luck Jason was able to make steady progress as he swerved through the deadly passage, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the immense pillars of earth that seemed bent on reducing his boat to splinters and himself to a bloody smear. On more than one occasion, his luck alone was not enough and it was only his shield of air that saved him, absorbing the blow from towering islands of stone or sending his craft bouncing away from impacts.

Just as he was about to successfully escape the deadly waterway, when he could literally see the light at the end of the deadly earthen grinder of men and ships, his luck and skill ran out. He was on the final stretch, only a minute or two to safety, when he allowed himself to get distracted with the notion and thus failed to notice as a island that must have been the size of a oil tanker collided with another colossal island and was sent hurtling towards his starboard by the collision.

By the time Jason had noticed, it was too late to avoid it entirely. He nevertheless swerved to port as hard as he could. But the boulder was too big and moving too fast, and even though it only clipped him, it still managed to effortlessly tear through his shield and smash the entire back end of the boat to pieces.

_Thank Father that I can fly._ Jason thought as he flew into the air, abandoning ship. Not a moment too soon, as he was barely into the air when the boat sank like a stone, helped along by a smaller rock crashing into it.

Jason paid it little mind though as he focused on flying towards safety. He made it a few feet before a boulder moving at high speed side swiped him and sent him spinning through the air, only a hastily conjured cocoon of air saving him from having his ribs shattered by the impact.

_Should have gotten better armor. Not sure if it would've been enough but it's gotta help somewhat._ The son of Jupiter mused as he leveled off his flight. He was dressed in his Imperial gold armor of course, but the sheer size of the rocks here put the usefulness of any armor he would have been able to acquire into doubt.

His distraction cost him however as it allowed another rapidly moving piece of rock, this time a menacing spire on top of which the rotting remains of a pegasus was impaled, to slam into him from behind and sending him flying into another spire head first. His trusty helmet, which he had used for years, kept his head from being reduced to a bloody paste but the old thing wasn't anywhere sturdy enough to keep him free from injury.

As he began to lose consciousness, Jason could not help but lament, _I knew I should have at least invested in a new helmet._

The last thing the boy saw as the darkness took him was a sinuous figure easily navigating the Rocks towards him.

_Great! I'm going to be food for a sea serpent._

* * *

Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, woke to a sight that quite surprised him. Largely because he wasn't expecting to wake up again anymore but also because he'd somehow found himself inside a cave illuminated by what looked like makeshift bonfires when the last he remembered he'd been in the Sea of Monsters about to become food for a sea monster.

"Where am I?" The Praetor of Camp Jupiter asked aloud as he got to his feet, while he clutched his trusty Imperial Gold sword, Ivlivus, even as he pondered how he even still had his weapon. Surviving the Clashing Rocks was one thing, but to do so while keeping hold of his weapon was too good to ask for. So how?

The answer to his unasked question showed itself then, as a pair massive eyes - each as big as he was tall- opened to peer at him across the low light of the cave. "You are in my cave," the eyes' owner explained as it marched closer, revealing more of its tremendous bulk to the wary demigod.

And the demigod had every right to be wary, for standing in front of him was no less than a drakon. One of the deadliest monsters in all the world. It was a massive example of the species too, at something like a hundred feet long -probably longer, Jason could only see a portion of its body- and covered in golden scales that were certainly nigh invulnerable like its kind was so famous for. It had forelimbs -the only limbs Jason could see- that were highly muscled and ended in a claw as large as a dump truck topped with claws the size of a grown man. A very fat man. And from the way smoke seemed to billow from the serpent's nostrils, it could probably breathe fire too.

"And it's good that you are finally awake, half-blood." The serpentine monster said. "Now I can finally be rid of you."

Jason tensed, preparing himself for an attack at that ominous statement. He'd not heard of a talking drakon before so this specimen must be something special and he knew the special monsters tended to like to be dramatic when they killed their prey.

Eying the demigod with contempt, the drakon snorted, released a small burst of flame. "You can relax. I'm not your enemy, son of Jupiter."

"Like I'd believe that, monster." Jason shot back, not relaxing his ready stance in the slightest.

The drakon glared at him in annoyance at this and coiling itself around a nearby stalagmite replied, "If I was your enemy, fool Roman, I'd have let you drown and eaten your body. I would not have troubled myself with fishing you out of the water and lighting these bonfires to provide you with warmth as you dried off and recovered."

The son of Jupiter had to admit the drakon made sense on that point, but he wasn't taking chances and so didn't relax.

Seeing this, the monster rolled its eyes in clear exasperation. "You are on a mission for the Great Serpent, are you not, little demigod?" Jason nodded, and the drakon continued. "While you are carrying out this task for her, none of her subjects, we serpents, will harm you."

Jason blinked in shock at that. That was very helpful of Ophis. Uncharacteristically helpful for a divinity.

As if reading his mind, the golden serpent nodded. "I couldn't agree more. This is very unusual, even unbecoming. Hindering your kind on your quests is half the point of the endeavors." It sighed then. "But orders are orders, and I wouldn't even dream of defying the orders of the Great Serpent. Though I really hope she grows out of being so nice in the future."

"Well, I for one think it's good that she is." Jason said relaxing marginally, that Ophis had ordered her serpents to not only not harm her questers but even help them was something he could readily believe. The young protogenos was just that nice.

The drakon didn't seem to share his positive opinion on the matter however as it glared down at Jason heatedly at what he said. "You know nothing, fool! My mistress' kindness will undoubtedly come back to haunt her."

"I hope not." Jason said honestly. He liked Ophis and would not want anything untoward to happen to her, especially not because she decided to help him.

"You and me both, demigod. You and me both."

For a moment, both demigod and monster silently offered their earnest wishes of well being towards Ophis.

The tableau was broken however when Jason remembered that he was on a quest and began looking around the cave for an exit.

"Looking for an exit, little boy?" The drakon asked bemusedly.

"Yes. I thank you for your hospitality, but I'm on a quest and need to get back to it."

The drakon snorted out another burst of flame, before sarcastically saying, "And now he remembers his quest."

Jason blushed as he recalled how the drakon had already mentioned that fact at least twice already.

"Err… Do you really want me gone that badly?" The son of Jupiter asked tentatively. If it was, then maybe he could leverage that into some directions.

He was not disappointed.

"Of course! You think I like having a human in my cave? You lot are absolutely dreadful for my feng shui!"

_Feng shui?_ The blonde thought to himself even as he openly gaped at the monster.

"Shut your mouth, human, and hurry up and get going." The drakon said defensively, even as it leered at Jason intimidatingly. "My mistress is waiting."

"Is this quest really so urgent?" The demigod asked in earnest confusion. Ophis hadn't really given that impression.

"The fate of the world rests on its completion."

Jason blinked in surprise. Was the drakon exaggerating?

_I can worry about that later. Right now, I just need to focus on actually finishing the damn thing._ The boy thought to himself as he shook his head to clear it of distractions.

With that goal in mind, Jason turned to walk off, hoping to find an exit.

"Demigod!" The drakon called out, chuckling lightly while doing so. "Do you know where you are going?"

Hiding a victorious smile, Jason turned and shot the drakon an innocent smile and sheepishly rubbed the back of his helmeted head. "No, I don't. But I'm sure I can find my way."

"In the undersea caves of the Sea of Monsters?" The drakon asked with a raised reptilian brow. "A place that I'm fairly sure you didn't even know existed until now."

"I'll manage. Somehow."

The drakon gave him a skeptical look before sighing in resignation and gesturing into the gloom behind Jason. "Go that way. There's a passage that leads out of my cave there, follow it and it'll take you to one of Vulcan's forges. The next step of your quest awaits you there."

"Thank you." Jason said as he gave a respectful bow, before heading off in the direction the monster had indicated, relying on the glow of his weapon to guide him through the dark as he walked out of the light of the bonfires.

The passage was exactly where the drakon said it would be. As he exited the cavern that the drakon called home, he thought he heard its owner's voice in the distance.

"Giving him so much help is practically a cop out!"

"This is a special case." Was the unexpected reply. Jason couldn't be sure but that sounded a lot like it was Ophis talking.

_Focus, Jason. Now really isn't the time to be worried about that. There's a quest to do._

With his goal reaffirmed, Camp Jupiter's Praetor marched into the unknown.

* * *

And marched. And marched. And marched.

Jason must have been walking for hours. Hours in the dark gloom, only the light of Ivlivs and the odd patch of bioluminescent moss to light his way. If not for the fact that the path did not have junctions or offshoots, thank the gods, he was sure that he'd have gotten lost ages ago.

It was getting noticeably more damp though, which meant more patches of moss and more light but also made him uneasy. He was after all in the Sea of Monsters, and while he hadn't come across anything since leaving the drakon's cave so far, there was no guarantee that there wasn't anything up ahead.

_And water just means the chance of there being sea monsters too, and not just whatever else chooses to make these caves their lair._

Despite his unease and caution however, as Jason rounded the bend in the path he could not help but gasp at the beauty of what lay ahead. It was a massive underground lake, with every patch of earth around it -the roof of the cavern, its floor, the stalagmites and stalactites- all of it covered in bioluminescent moss that glowed with every color he could imagine.

Walking into this beautiful vista, Jason surveyed his surroundings. The roof of the cavern arched high overhead and the lake was at least half a mile wide with no way across that was immediately obvious.

_I'm going to have to fly. That shouldn't be too bad, it'll give me a nice view all around._

Thus with no hesitation, the son of Jupiter called on his powers and flew into the air. Cautiously he flew across the lake, wary of any ambushes. Even as he continued to admire the beauty of his surroundings.

As he flew and no monster appeared, Jason slowly let down his guard. Which is perhaps why he was caught by surprise when a pair of giant crab claws, each the size of a school bus, burst out of the water and tried to grab him.

Startled, Jason rapidly swerved out of the way of the grasping claws even as the rest of the immense crab surfaced.

Calming his hammering heart, the veteran demigod easily flew circles around the monster as it futilely tried to catch him with its pincers.

_Let's see how you'd like some electricity._ With that though Jason shifted Ivlivs into its lance form and used it to launch a lightning bolt directly at the oversized crustacean.

The bolt hit the monster's massive shell dead center but instead of hurting it like Jason expected, all it did was cause it to take on the appearance of the starry sky.

"You'll have to do better than that, son of Jupiter." A sleepy voice said tauntingly from all around.

"Wha-" Jason wasn't able to finish voicing his surprise however as his attack seemed to have angered the crab which led it to reach higher out of the water than ever before in a bid to try and catch him. In response, he was forced to dodge out of the way.

The furious monster was now lifting itself almost out of the water and lunging desperately as it tried to catch him, forcing Jason to use ever more desperate evasive maneuvers to avoid it. He tried attacking it with Ivlivs as he passed but his weapon did little more than leave scratches on the beast's carapace.

_Damn it! We're at a stalemate. It can't catch me and I can't hurt it._ Just then the crab's claw came a hair's breath from clubbing him. _Correction, we're at a stalemate for now. If I let my guard down or it gets lucky, one hit and I'm done for._

_Maybe I can try flying around it?_

Jason thought to himself as he tried to put distance between him and the monster. For a moment, it seemed the Roman had succeeded when much to his dismay, the water in front of him suddenly exploded as the crab resurfaced.

_Damn! I can't even outrun it._

Dodging another desperate grab by a pincer, Jason frowned as he noticed something. _It's not getting out of the water. Even as it lunges it's determinedly keeping most of its body underwater._

The demigod's thoughts were interrupted when a large chunk of moss covered earth was flung his way and he was forced to evade. Staring wide-eyed, Jason could only gape as the crab tore another stalagmite from the cavern's roof and threw it at him.

_Damn! And now it's started to throw things at me. I've got to end this quick before it gets even more creative._

Pulling off some tricky flying around a barrage of earthen projectiles, Jason observed the monster. _I'm right. No matter what it does, it refuses to lift its body out of its water. It must have a weak point down there!_

The blonde knew that he was acting on a hunch and how risky that could be but he was running out of options. Throwing the die, he dove headfirst into the water.

The crab seemed stunned by this change in tactic for a moment, which was all the opening that Jason needed as he threw Ivlivs like a javelin and pierced the underside of the monster's shell. The instant that the Imperial Gold lance pierced the creature's armor, it burst into golden dust. No fanfare, no death throes. One minute it was a menacing monster of the deep, the next it was dust.

Jason couldn't celebrate yet though. Being a son of Jupiter, Jason was never much of a swimmer, nevertheless he had learned the basics. Mainly to cover his bases so that he could fight in all environments should the need arise. A decision that he was thankful he'd made right now as he swam as best he could, not very well, in the cold waters back towards the surface of the lake from the depths that his dive and his heavy armor had sent him.

Breaking the surface of the cold waters, Jason took deep thankful breathes as he used his powers to lift him back into the air.

"I hate swimming." Jason commented idly, as he eyed the lake sadly. Upset at the loss of his trusty weapon.

He took a moment to get over the loss, before weighed down by his soaked clothes and shivering from his dip into the icy waters, the son of Jupiter forged ahead.

* * *

Wet and cold after his dip into the underground lake, Jason Grace marched unhappily down the passage at the other end of the lake that hopefully led to Vulcan's forge. He'd briefly considered using his electricity to dry himself off, but was unwilling to take the risk of overdoing it and setting his clothes on fire or somehow damaging his armor. He might be immune to electricity but they weren't.

So he remained thoroughly miserable as he walked through the cave, something that didn't help the pack of Telekhines that tried to ambush him along the way. The upset demigod wasn't in any mood to play around with the monsters and fried the whole lot of them into crisps with a burst of lightning.

What did cheer him up was the building heat as he advanced, heat which served to quickly dry his clothes. Though that was only a momentary comfort, as the same heat quickly had him break out into a sweat that quickly drenched them all over again.

"I never catch a break." Jason said with a resigned sigh as he trudged on.

He was proven wrong however as moments after he said so he found himself before a pair of massive Imperial Gold doors emblazoned with a blacksmith's hammer, the god Vulcan's symbol. He had reached his destination.

"So am I supposed to ring some kind of doorbell?" The praetor mumbled to himself as he looked around for any sign of what to do next.

"No need for that, boy." A huge, deformed and ugly lump of a man said as he swung the doors open. The man was a truly terrifying sight. He had shoulders at different heights; a huge bulging leg in a creaking steel brace; a misshapen head covered in welts; bushy eyebrows; and a wild brown beard that gave off sparks from time to time.

Jason was about to fall to his knees in respect towards the god, Vulcan, but was swept off his feet -literally- before he could by said god.

"We're behind schedule as is. I'll need to be on Olympus soon. Now hurry up!" The god demanded eying the mortal with a displeased expression.

Gulping nervously, Jason had to work to retain his composure and reply evenly. "Of course Lord Vulcan. What do I need to do?"

The god's only reply was to push Jason towards a rack with a old-fashioned atmospheric diving suit, one arm of which had been replaced by a large syringe.

The confused demigod shot the god a questioning look.

The impatient god just twitched in irritation, the sparks in his beard increasing in both frequency and intensity as he explained. "Isn't it obvious? Put it on!"

Not wanting to further upset the clearly agitated god, Jason complied, assisted by the helpfully easy to understand instructions written on parts of the suit.

Satisfied that the demigod was doing as he was told, Vulcan relaxed a little, his figure entering more of a slouch than his deformities normally gave him, the sparks in his beard dying down and he began to gush over his creation.

"That suit's a commission from Ophis. A rush job even. Something to help you finish your quest." The god shook his head in exasperation then. "She's being too generous to you in my opinion. All this help? Bah! It doesn't even seem like a proper quest anymore."

Busy securing the airtight seals on the arms of the suit, Jason privately agreed. Ophis had been very, very helpful in this quest. He was smart enough to not say anything though, he didn't want to give the god an excuse to make this quest more 'proper'.

Unaware of his thoughts or just ignoring them, Vulcan continued speaking. "Then again, I can understand where she's coming from. She's both impatient and a little desperate. Not to mention very young. She probably doesn't even understand the 'proper' way of doing things."

Jason perked up at the mention of Ophis being desperate. What could possibly make someone as powerful as her feel that way? And how did this quest connect with it?

Unable to contain his curiosity, Jason was about to open his mouth to ask, but shut it at the warning look Vulcan shot him. One complete with flaming eyes and beard.

"You done?" A unnerved Jason nodded. "Good. You still have that chalk Lily gave you?"

"Yeah." Jason said nervously even as the flames on the god's face sputtered out and he dug through the gear he'd taken off to put on the suit to retrieve said chalk.

"Good hand it here." Jason complied, as the god passed him a gold coin in return while muttering, "And take your sword back too. Almost forgot about it. Decent blade, could be better but still good."

Jason looked at the gold coin in shock as he realized that it really was Ivlius. Smiling at having his trusted weapon back, the demigod began experimenting with it by testing its modes.

"Thank you, Lord Vulcan." The boy said sincerely.

The god waved him away, his eyes glued instead to the chalk. "Impressive magic right here. That girl might just be a baby but she's good."

"Impressive magic? Isn't that just a piece of ordinary chalk?"

Vulcan burst into a laugh at that -a truly frightening sound- and turned to face the demigod, "Just a chalk? You're an idiot to think that. A lucky one, but an idiot still."

"Lord Vulcan?"

"This chalk here is what's going to save you a lot of time." The god said as he waved the chalk in front of Jason's piece. "It can create gateways between any two points in space. Just use it to sketch out a doorway in the air and it'll be become an actual portal."

"That's why she said it would help me get pass the Clashing Rocks."

"Exactly." The lord of smiths said as he stroked his beard contemplatively. "Though perhaps using it now is better."

Jason was not listening, instead he was pondering how Lily, a monster, could have something so powerful and be willing to give it away for something as small as a tasty offering.

Apparently having heard what he'd been thinking, the fire god leveled the boy with yet another flaming glare. The beard didn't catch fire this time so maybe he was less angry. Jason hoped so.

"You are a fool, mortal. Just like so many of your ilk. Lily is hardly just a monster. Her mother is Time and Space Embodied. No child of hers will ever be _just_ a monster. She is in fact the goddess of the boundaries of time and space. You will not disrespect her or any other god in my presence again, am I clear?" The god warned his tone deathly serious.

Jason nodded, thoroughly chastised and quickly realizing just how dangerous it was being in the presence of the volatile Master of Volcanoes.

"Good." The god said, in an impatient tone, as he pressed Lily's chalk back into Jason's hand. "Now stop wasting my time and get going."

"My apologies for taking up your time, Lord Vulcan." Jason said with a bow, even as the god waved towards a wall of his forge.

Getting the hint, the boy walked over to the wall.

_How do I use this again?_ For a moment, Jason was tempted to turn to Vulcan for guidance but thought better of it. The god was not happy as it was, he didn't want to try his luck with him any further than he already had. _Right. 'Sketch out a doorway.' Well, here goes nothing._

Jason quickly drew a rough rectangle on the wall with Lily's chalk which upon completion immediately transformed into a shimmering portal that shined with a kaleidoscope of colors.

Steadying his nerves, the Praetor stepped through the portal.

* * *

The moment the demigod emerged on the other side, he was swept away by the churning currents. He desperately struggled to get his bearings, but all he could see was that he was stuck in some kind of maelstrom, one filled by all kind of things similarly caught by the whirlpool. Debris of what might have been ships, sea creatures of all kinds, and everything in between.

Helpless in the grip of what he realized must be Charybdis' pull, Jason thanked Vulcan for building such a sturdy suit. Not that it helped in trying to free himself from the monstrous nymph's terrible suction, he swam as hard as he could, called on his powers to draw the air in the water around him and fire it off in jets, anything that he could think of that might help him but it didn't make the slightest difference.

His struggles were punctuated by the sound of a periodic crushing sound. Turning his eyes in the direction of the noise, he spotted its source and his dread grew. It was the sound of Charybdis snapping her massive sharp toothed maw shut and crushing her hapless prey. Prey that would very soon include a son of Jupiter.

Unable to escape Charybdis' terrible power over the seas, Jason was sucked into her maw. To add to his misfortune, this happened as she was snapping it close to chew apart an unfortunate whale.

_If I don't do anything I'll be cut in half!_ Jason thought in a panic as he summoned his powers. _I can't fight her pull, that means…_ And fired off a jet of air that sent him shooting _down_ the monster's open gullet.

Falling down Charybdis' massive throat the demigod flew pass massive walls of flesh.

_If I can only get to the sides…_

Looking down, the demigod saw the bubbling pit of acid that must be the monster's stomach.

_I don't have much time._

Putting in his all, he fired a powerful burst of air that sent him careening into the side. He was unprepared for it though and scrambled to grab a hold of something, anything, as he continued his fall to his doom. In the process his suit's syringe plunged into the nymph's flesh, gouging a tear in it as Jason continued to fall all while automatically began to fill with her blood.

This did not go unnoticed by Charybdis as she began howling in agony, the sound reverberating through Jason's very bones. It was so intense and disorienting that he barely noticed as the flesh all around him began to spasm and the next thing he knew, he and what must be tons of water and assorted detritus were tossed into the sky.

Charybdis had spit him out.

Still shaking off the effects of what had happened Jason didn't immediately notice when something latched onto his side and began pulling him through the air. Jolted to his senses by the sudden movement however he quickly looked down to spot a crocodile like head at the end of a insanely long neck had him in its jaw.

_First Charybdis and now Scylla? This sucks._ The son of Jupiter lamented as he shocked the head with a jolt of electricity, causing it to release him. _At least the suit's too tough for her to bite through, otherwise I'd be dead by now._

He was forced to push these thoughts to the side however as more of the long necked monster's heads shot towards him from her cave in the distance. Jason tried his best to avoid them, but the suit was heavy and that made him a lot less maneuverable than he normally would be. As such, he was caught more than a few times, forcing him to shock the transformed nymph to get her to release him.

He noticed however that he had to shock her more strongly each time. _She's building up a tolerance!_

Thankfully, he quickly managed to fly out of range of her necks. They snapped helplessly when he past this limit, leering at him hungrily and with disappointment.

Jason just sighed in relief as he flew away from them at top speed, not turning his back on them until he was at least half a mile away, just in case.

Once he was fairly sure he was clear, he quickly came to a stop and consulted the compass helpfully installed into the non-syringe equipped arm of his suit.

"Ok. So North is that way. So if I'm remembering the geography right, land should be that way." The young man reasoned as he looked in a roughly north westerly direction.

Nodding to himself, the son of Jupiter began his long flight to solid ground. Unfortunately, the long exhausting day quickly caught up to him and very soon he found himself struggling to stay awake.

"Can't sleep. Gotta keep flying. Can't sleep. Gotta keep flying." Jason chanted to himself in an bid to fight off the call of Somnia.

It was futile though and half an hour into his flight, he passed out and began falling to the ocean below like a stone.

* * *

An unfamiliar ceiling greeted Jason Grace as he awoke.

"Took you long enough, Son of Jupiter." A voice said to his right. Shooting up, Jason fell into a combat stance as he faced the speaker.

"Stand down, Praetor." The nymph ordered with an unimpressed raise of an eyebrow at his display.

Seeing the right hand woman of Ophis, Jason relaxed. He was about to ask what was going on, but the nymph cut him off before he even finished opening his mouth.

"You're on a boat that'll take you back to Miami, from there it'll up to you to get back to New Rome on your own." She lifted the vial of Charybdis' blood he collected for him to see. "In the meantime, I'll be taking this."

Without waiting for a response, the nymph vanished.

Jason just blinked in confusion for a moment before collapsing back onto the bed and giving in to his lingering exhaustion.

_Well that happened… Just one more oddity on one really odd quest._ The young demigod mused as he slowly drifted off to the land of dreams. _I wonder, what has Lady Ophis so worried?_

With this troubling thought percolating through his mind, Jason Grace returned to the realm of Somnus.

* * *

**And here's Chapter 1.**

**I hope it was satisfactory. Personally, I'm a little iffy about it, but can't think of how to fix my concerns without creating others. So I'm leaving it for now.**

**Tell me how you think I can improve the chapter in a review.**

**Peace out.**


	3. A divine rematch

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Chapter 2: A divine rematch**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

The Throne Room of Olympus was crowded. Not only was the full Olympian council in attendance, seated in their massive thrones arranged in a reverse U shape, but throngs of other gods were as well. Even Hades was present in a fashion, as he glared out at the Olympians from a screen set up by Hephaestus. In contrast, the minor gods like Morpheus, Tyche and Nemesis present milled about in a crowd gathered around the central hearth at the side of which Hestia looked on the whole gathering disapprovingly.

The whole scene was one of lively debate as the gods discussed the matter put before them.

"Enough debate!" Boomed Zeus, king of the gods. "I-We have already made our decision."

"But Fa-" Artemis began, only to cut herself off at the dark look the lord of the sky sent her way.

"As, I was saying. We have decided." Zeus continued when the goddess of the hunt sank back into her throne, an unhappy look on her face that he ignored. "In order to prevent Gaea's awakening the gods must cease all contact with the mortal world."

All across the room, gods looked to each other as they broke out into confused and fearful murmurs. All, that is, except a goddess in a white dress with a mane of lush black hair, coffee-brown eyes, and skin that was the color of snow. Unlike her peers, Khione, the goddess of snow, smiled with triumph at the god king's announcement.

"Father, please. This is highly unwise." Athena said turning to her king. Poseidon, Hades, Apollo, Artemis and Hermes all nodded in agreement.

"Did I not say that the debate is over?" Zeus told the goddess of wisdom in warning.

"Only because you refuse to debate at all!" Poseidon scoffed.

Before Zeus could retort, Hades chimed in. "You say this decision was made by the Council but in truth it is simply you unilaterally imposing your will."

"Truth." Apollo added.

Zeus sent a truly terrifying glare at those who objected to his decision. The minor gods flinched at catching a glimpse of it, but the targets of his ire shrugged it off.

"Zeus, perhaps it would be best to actually listen to the opinions of the others before we make a final decision?" Demeter said coaxingly.

"The decision is already final!" Zeus declared, his voice booming with the force of a thousand claps of thunder.

"On your say-so alone?" Hermes asked, his arms crossed and a look of defiance plastered on his face.

"Yes, by my authority as the King of the Gods."

A round of dismissive sounds echoed across the throne room as the Olympians made their opinion on that justification clear.

Zeus' eyebrow twitched in irritation at their response.

"Overstretching your authority again, brother?" Hera accused. "Do you want to provoke another Olympian riot?"

The lord of the sky turned to glare daggers at his queen for the reminder of that particular humiliation that she had been so instrumentally a part of.

"You do know she's right, don't you?" Poseidon commented, sweeping his arm at more than half the Olympians openly glaring at their king and the majority of the minor gods doing likewise. "You are abusing your authority to impose a massively unpopular decision. In light of that, well, a riot may be the least of your problems."

"Is that a threat, brother?" Zeus shot back, his face like stone.

"No, merely an observation." Poseidon replied, just as stonily.

The two sons of Kronos stared at each other, neither wanting to be the first to back down. Their staring match however was interrupted when Hades cut in.

"I agree with Poseidon." The Lord of the Dead said grudgingly.

In response, the King of the Gods turned to glare at the King of the Underworld who just shrugged in response. "What? It's true. You're doing something very, very foolish."

"Would you like to back up those words on the battlefield?" Zeus growled out, sparks flying off his form in a sign of his growing anger.

"The battlefield?" Hestia gasped, looking at her younger brother in shock. "Zeus you cannot be suggesting what I think you are."

The goddess of the hearth was not the only one that was shocked though, everyone -even those disinterested in the affair so far- in the throne room felt likewise. Hephaestus had stopped tinkering with the device in his hands, Demeter had looked up from chatting with Persephone on her smartphone, Dionysus had put down his wine magazine; all so that they could join the other gods in looking at their king in horror.

Well, all of them except Ares who had stopped sharpening his many, many blades to grin like a loon and nod encouragingly at his father. Everyone just ignored the war god.

"You would threaten war just to have your way?" Artemis asked in a horrified whisper.

"To defend my authority as your King, yes." Zeus affirmed.

"You're just doing this to make up for the embarrassment of being forced to back down after the Second Titan War on the matter of Ophis, aren't you?" Poseidon accused.

Zeus didn't respond, instead choosing to press his case. "Any more objections to _our_ decision?"

The Olympians exchanged looks and the minor gods once more erupted into murmurs. After a minute of this, Poseidon -evidently having been selected as the spokesperson for the dissenters- spoke up.

"If the choice is a two front war where we'd certainly lose or hiding our head in the sand and hoping for others to save us?" Zeus glared at the sea god for spelling out their options in such a way, but the Earthshaker ignored him and continued resignedly. "Then we have no choice but to choose the second option, won't we? At least then we'll have a chance."

Zeus smirked triumphantly at the opposition's capitulation and moved to speak. However, whatever self-congratulatory statement he was about to make was preempted by the entirety of Olympus shuddering and an immense shadow falling over the throne room.

Accompanying these phenomenon was the arrival of an enormously powerful presence. Something that made everyone in the throne room, even the Olympians flinch. Zeus alone remained unfazed by this new arrival, as he glared defiantly as the shadow coalesced into the form of Ophis who returned his glare with one of her own.

The Great Serpent's glare was however not the only sign of her displeasure, her aura was writhing around her as well. A fact that sent the crowd of minor gods amidst whom she had materialized scrambling away.

"Zeus," Ophis said, omitting her customary prefix 'Big Brother' that she used when referring to her siblings. A fact that her other siblings noted with concern. "Why was I shut out of a meeting as important as this?"

"Shut out?" Zeus scoffed. "I think it is more appropriate to ask why you are even here. After all, did you not declare that Olympus had no authority over you? Based on that, what we do here is no concern of yours, is it?"

The protogenos glared and stamped her foot on the ground in a childish fit of pique, but which nevertheless sent a spiderweb of cracks spreading across the marble floor. "You, you, poopyhead! How can you say something so stupid!"

Zeus did not take being insulted in his own seat of power lightly and grabbing his Master Bolt stood from his throne, his form enshrouded by an aura of pure power as bolts of lightning arced all across the room. Several of the Olympians moved to restrain him, but he shot them warning looks and they subsided. As they retreated to their thrones, the King of the Gods turned his furious attention towards the little girl who dared humiliate him.

Ophis was unfazed by her brother's show of power however and matched it with one of her own. She let her aura engulf and transform her into a being of raw energy roughly in the shape of her true form as a gargantuan winged serpent.

For ten tense minutes, the two divine powerhouses stood in a silent face off. Staring defiantly at each other and unwilling to back down or to escalate the situation. Finally, however it was the younger of the two divinities whose patience ran out first.

"Do whatever you want, Zeus." Ophis declared at last as she shifted into her true form, the mere presence of which shattered whole chunks of marble in the throne room and cause a violent tremor to shake Olympus.

"I don't care. If you won't take this seriously than I'll fight this war myself! At least I'll do it the proper way." The protogenos of Time and Space declared even as one of her immense eyes shifted away from glaring at her brother to level a baleful gaze on Khione. In the face of the clear disapproval of such an immense power and pressed down by its angry aura, the minor goddess collapsed to her knees as a wet spot stained her previously pristine dress and the floor under her.

"Just you watch! I'll win this war!" Ophis declared with finality as she teleported away, shaking the city of the gods once more in her passing.

Amidst the confused and fearful chaos that followed her departure, Zeus smiled triumphantly. The king of the gods felt completely vindicated at having managed to stand up to Ophis.

* * *

**And here's the latest part of the story.**

**I honestly don't know whether to call this a chapter or an interlude. It's progressing the overall plot of the story in a major way, so it could count as a chapter… But it's so short...**

**Tell me what you think it should be called in a review.**

**Until next time. Peace.**


	4. A new calling

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Chapter 3: A new calling**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

Alabaster C. Torrington sat stiffly in his chair, doing his best to fight his nervousness as he gazed at the powerful being across from him. Currently sitting across from him in her Ogyia office, was the protogenos of Time and Space, Ophis. That alone would have been intimidating enough, if slightly tempered by her generally kindly demeanor and her favored form of a little girl. However, his fears were not helped by the fact that she was flanked by her two lieutenants, Fidi Douli and Calypso, both of which had quite well deserved reputations for being deadly.

His anxiety was only heightened by the presence of his monstrous half-sister, Lamia, who was sitting next to him. She was bound to her chair with chains made of links of alternating white and black energy, and was gagged with a piece of tape with the symbol of an Ouroboros, the symbol of Ophis, printed on top. Those restraints weren't particularly comforting though, he reasoned that nothing would be. Not when the former Queen of Libya had spent the last few months trying to hunt him down to kill him. A fact that he was reminded of as her serpentine green eyes glared bloody murder at him and the lizard-like claws that her hands her become fought against her bonds to reach out and tear him to pieces.

The only thing that kept him from losing his cool was the reassuring presence of his mother, Hecate, goddess of magic. She was wearing the guise of a young dark haired woman in a dark gown with a multitude of mystic symbols freely flowing across the fabric.

"My thanks Ophis," the goddess said, beginning the meeting and nodding towards the bound monster. "For subduing my wayward daughter without killing her."

Blushing prettily, the child-like protogenos replied. "There's no need to thank me Hecate. I was only doing the right thing."

"Do you honestly expect us to believe that?" Alabaster commented as he snorted skeptically. Despite his fear, he was unwilling to allow a statement like that to go unchallenged. Not from a divine being. "Spare us the pleasantries, and cut to the chase. What do you want us to do in return?"

"Alabaster." His mother said chidingly and the girl's lieutenants shot him stern disapproving glares.

"But I didn't do it to get something back." The primordial said with a pout.

_Oh, cut the act._ The demigod wanted to say but was denied the chance when his mother cut in before he could open his mouth.

"I'm certain that's the case." The goddess said reassuringly, even as she shot her son a warning look. "Though I have to ask whether you have any plans on how to deal with Lamia in the long term?"

Gesturing to the person in question, who was still futilely struggling against her chains, Hecate continued. "I take it that this is only a temporary solution?"

"Yes, and I do have some ideas for a more permanent one."

Alabaster doubted the girl had anything resembling a viable solution. He made no show of this however as his burst of anger at her hypocrisy and the courage it brought with it faded. In its wake, all that remained was the returning anxiety of being in the same room as an incredibly powerful being who he'd opposed in the recent Titanomachy.

If the immortals sensed his feelings however they took no note of it, instead choosing to shift their attention to Lamia.

"Lamia, daughter of Hecate." The protogenos addressed the monster formally. "Would you be willing to join my service?"

His half-sister stopped struggling against her restraints to shoot Ophis a surprised and interested glance.

Taking that as her cue, the Great Serpent expanded on her offer. "If you agree, I'll maintain your new life and protect you from your enemies both new and old. All you'd have to do is give up on your vengeance."

The demigod did not need to see Lamia's violent flailing to know that she'd never accept such terms. The monster's hatred for the Olympians and their halfblood children was legendary, literally so. There was probably nothing in the world that would convince her to give it up.

With a disappointed sigh Ophis sagged back into her chair. "I knew it was a long short, but…"

Calypso placed a comforting hand on her mistress' shoulder.

Alabaster shook his head. Did the girl honestly think that Lamia would have accepted her offer? Was she that naive?

Fidi Douli hissing at him angrily however abruptly reminded him of whom he shared the room with.

_Right. Have to watch my thoughts when there are gods around._

"It was a generous offer, Ophis." Hecate said kindly. "But as it is clearly untenable, do you have any other alternatives?"

The protogenos took a breath to recompose herself and nodded. "Yes, I could imprison her instead."

"I take it you have somewhere new in mind now that Tartarus is no longer an option?"

"Within my coils is probably the most secure prison at the moment."

Alabaster blinked in confusion. What did she mean by that?

"That would amount to trapping her between what mortals would call the creases of reality, correct? Where she'd free to observe the world but never interact with it?" Hecate deduced even as her face paled.

Lamia shuddered in horror at the prospect and even Alabaster flinched. Mixed in with his fear of something like that, was a tinge of sympathy for his murderous sister. That was a dreadful punishment.

"I'm sorry but it's the best I could come up with." Ophis admitted. "It's only until things are resolved and we can reliably use Tartarus again. Is that agreeable?"

Hecate closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair for a long moment as she considered the offer. It was a terrible punishment, but there weren't any other options were there? At least none that Alabaster could come up with. His mother seemed to agree as after five minutes of deliberation, she gave Ophis a grim nod.

The moment the protogenos received his mother's agreement, Lamia vanished.

Alabaster paled at the display of power, forcibly reminded once more of just who he was truly dealing with.

For a long moment, both mother and son stared at the empty spot where the monster had once been seated. The demigod didn't know what his mother was thinking, but he was plagued with a sense of relief and fear. Relief that Lamia was dealt with and he would no longer be pursued, but also fear that a terrifyingly powerful being such as Ophis existed.

"Thank you once more, Ophis, for your assistance." Hecate said at last as she began to rise from her chair, simultaneously gesturing to Alabaster that it was time to leave. "If you don't mind, it's time for us to take our leave."

"Wait."

"You have something more to discuss?" The goddess asked with an inquisitively raised brow.

"Just one more thing." The Great Serpent confirmed, even as she waved Calypso forward. "I have something that I wish to offer Alabaster."

The ancient sorceress reached into the folder she held under one arm, drew out two stacks of paper, and handed one to himself and the other to his mother.

"What's this?" Hecate asked as she flipped through the papers.

"A proposed employee contract for your son." The daughter of Atlas explained.

Hecate looked up from the contract to look at Ophis incredulously. "You want to hire him?"

Said protogenos smiled happily and nodded. "Yup!"

"Is this your price for saving me from Lamia?" Alabaster asked angrily, convinced that this was the proof that Ophis was just as hypocritical as all the other gods were. She might have claimed that she dealt with Lamia because she believed it was the right thing to do and wanted nothing in return, but this clearly belied that.

"What!? No!" The protogenos denied vehemently. "The two things are completely unrelated."

"Right." Alabaster said sarcastically. "And you'll take 'no' for an answer."

"Of course, I would." Ophis cried, sounding distressed. Fidi Douli hissed at him once more and Calypso was eying him angrily.

"Alabaster," Hecate cut into the building tension. "Ophis is being honest."

"You can't be serious!"

The goddess just nodded.

The young man was floored. He trusted his mother, of course he did, so if she said Ophis was being honest... Then she must be. But for a powerful immortal, who was not one's godly parent, to behave in the way that the Great Serpent had so far. For a divinity to help a demigod just because it was the right thing to do and then not expect anything in return... That was a big shock to the cynical halfblood.

Alabaster took a moment to wrap his head around the idea of a good-natured immortal. Once he did, he found himself needing an answer to another question that had been plaguing him about the whole situation.

"Why?"

Ophis offered him a kind smile before replying. "Simple. You're forsaken. Exiled from Olympus. One of many that the gods have wronged or have not given a fair deal to and then forgotten. It's my duty as the newest deity in the Hellenistic world to help people like you out."

"That's just propaganda!" Alabaster countered. "I can tell. What's the real reason you want to hire me?"

Ophis silently looked at the half-blood searchingly for a long moment.

"The real reason, son of Hecate?" Ophis asked, her voice unusually grave. "Do you really want to know?"

The way she had said that was so ominous that Alabaster gulped uneasily. He had to know though, signing this contract would shape his future. He needed to know everything he could before he made such a big decision.

"Yes."

Ophis nodded.

"I want to care for these forsaken people because the Fates gave me a vision. One which showed that the world would end if they were not looked after."

Alabaster was speechless, was it _that_ big of a deal? The Olympians had been letting people down for millennia, and the world was still spinning. What had changed?

_Would Mother know?_

Turning to the goddess, Alabaster found that he would not find any help there. Hecate was just as shocked by Ophis' revelation as he was. She had looked up from the contract that she had previously been going through with a fine toothed comb to look at her fellow deity with shock.

"Ophis, are you sure?" The goddess asked fearfully.

The Great Serpent nodded gravely.

Hecate gulped nervously, before turning to Alabaster.

"Alabaster, you should sign the contract."

"Mother?"

"Ophis was not lying." Hecate stated with authority, leveling her son with a stern look at the same time.

Alabaster nodded at his mother's words. He understood what his mother was trying to tell him, she was urging him to agree so as to help the Great Serpent in her quest.

"Besides this contract gives you plenty of benefits. It's a good deal for you." The goddess continued, before concluding in a way that befit her status as the goddess of crossroads. "Ultimately though it's your choice."

Despite everything Alabaster remained hesitant. The thought of entering himself into the service of another deity brought back too many memories of his service to the Titans and the war. In particular, the memories of having led all his siblings to their death. It was irrational, he knew that, but he could not separate the two things in his mind.

"If it helps, why don't you work for me for a month first. If after that, you want to leave, I won't stop you." Ophis offered.

"You'll swear to that on the Styx?" The young man asked uncertainly.

"I swear on the Styx!" The protogenos said easily. The clash of supernatural thunder that followed her words signifying the sealing of a sacred oath.

"Then you have a deal, My Lady."

The Great Serpent just smiled.

* * *

A day later, Alabaster found himself doubting his decision. Standing atop a hill somewhere in the Sonoran desert and looking at another hill a short distance away, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. The mission that he had been tasked with by his new employer was beyond unsettling. For the other hill was no product of geological processes, it had been built by Myrmekes. Ant-like monsters the size of a full grown German Shepherd, that could spray poison, had almost unbreakable armored carapaces, vicious mandibles and a tendency to swarm their enemies. Especially if their nests were threatened.

They were not something a demigod would like to face in battle. Not at all. But here he was preparing to raid a nest of the things to recover the tons of precious divine metal that the monsters loved to steal and hoard. Alabaster didn't know why Ophis needed it. After all, there was no sign that she was running short of Celestial Bronze or Imperial Gold or even the much rarer Stygian Iron. Why then did she need them to raid a Myrmeke Nest?

The demigod sighed. He didn't know but orders were orders. And as uneasy as he was with the formidable challenge ahead, he wasn't about to quit after only a day. Not even if the job meant he had to fight a deadly battle. He was a demigod and that was exactly what they were born to do.

Turning away from the forbidding Nest, he looked over the small army that his boss had provided him for this mission.

There were dozens of demigods, all of whom he recognized as former members of the Titans' armies and who like him had joined Ophis rather than accept the Olympian amnesty. Something that he knew from talking to some of them, they all felt would have meant accepting that the Olympians had been right to treat them and the minor gods terribly for centuries. That was a line that they had been unwilling to cross, and thus had resigned themselves to lives as rogues on the run from both Olympus and monsters. Ophis' offer of matronage was a lifesaver, in some cases literally, and they had jumped at the chance to sign up.

Besides his fellow half-bloods, there was also a large contingent of the Great Serpent's monstrous subjects. At least a hundred Scythian Dracaena led by a Captain Hux stood in an orderly phalanx flanked on both sides by a dozen monstrous snakes that he remembered Ophis fielding in the Battle of Manhattan. Far less disciplined than their peers were a half dozen cyclops led by the brothers Sump and Torque that were milling about the area looking bored. They didn't worry Alabaster though, cyclopes were something that he had experience with both as enemies and allies.

What did unnerve him were the pair of strange twelve foot long creatures with snake like bodies and heads but a humanoid torso, all made out of black and white energy and who seemed to phase in and out of existence. These were Outsiders, the servants of Ophis. Despite this being the first time most had seen or even heard of these new creatures, everyone gave them a wide berth. The dracanae and snakes out of respect and everyone else out of fear. Alabaster as the one tasked with leading them into battle was one of the few that understood what they were capable of and thus knew that the fear was completely warranted.

With a shake of his head, the demigod cleared his mind of these thoughts. He had an army to organize.

In short order he had his forces split into squads, the passages of the Nest likely to be too narrow for larger groups to traverse. To ensure that there would be no unnecessary infighting, he decided not to mix the demigods and the dracanae. They may all be on the same side now, but millennia of killing each other was not something that could so easily be washed away. He also made sure that each squad had some heavy muscle in the form of either a snake, Outsider or cyclops.

With his troops organized, Alabaster addressed them one last time before they plunged into battle.

_I honestly don't know what to say so I guess I'll just have to wing it._

"Alright, everyone. We all know what we're here to do. The Lady Ophis wants the divine metal in that Myrmeke Nest over there." The halfblood pointed in the direction of their target. "Now, I know some of you question the reason why we need to do this. I can't answer that." Murmurs broke out in the crowd, but Alabaster silenced them by raising his voice and continuing. "Others question why we need to do this alongside people that have been your mortal enemies for eons. That I _can_ answer. We may have been enemies, but now we are _not_. Now, we are united in service to the Lady Ophis. And we put our faith in her. She wants us to do this? We'll do it. _For Ophis!_ "

The army echoed his war cry, and if not for the magical wards he'd set up around the area would have undoubtedly prematurely tipped off the Myrmekes to their presence.

"One last thing before we set off," Alabaster continued as the cheers died down. "The Lady wants us to do this without any unnecessary casualties. _So. Play. It. Safe!_ Is that clear?"

He was met with another round of cheers.

_That's good enough I guess. At least the squad leaders know what to do._

"Then let's do this. _For Ophis!_ "

At his battle cry, the army charged towards the Myrmeke Nest echoing the call.

* * *

Advancing on the Nest had not proved difficult. The army had set up their magically hidden muster area behind a hill within a few hundred metres from the Nest itself. As such, when they burst over the hill they had caught the giant ants by surprise. Reacting with the efficiency that eusocial insects were renowned for, the monsters rallied to their defense of their home but it was too little too late. The enemy was simply too close and the ants could not summon enough warriors in time to stop Ophis' troops from securing the surface entrances.

Leaving behind a quarter of his forces - including all the snakes who wouldn't have fit into the tunnels - to secure the tunnel entrances, their only escape routes if things went south, he ordered the remainder into the labyrinthine colony. Leading a a squad of six other demigods and one of the Outsiders he entered the underground maze.

"It glows to provide us the light we need to see and it can shrink down like that? What can't it do?" Kaiya Tendo, a Japanese-American daughter of Apollo commented as she gestured at the Outsider that was taking point with her free hand while she fired a Celestial Bronze bolt from her crossbow and killed a Myrmeke in the tunnel ahead.

"Why'd you think I wanted it in our team?" Alabaster, standing right beside and directly behind the Outsider, said with a shake of his head. He had known the girl from their time serving the Titans and was on reasonably good terms with her. He knew that she was one of the few claimed children of the Olympian Twelve that had fought against them and had done so because of something to do with her birth and how she grew up. She was cagey about the details though, so Alabaster imagined it couldn't have been good.

Outside of that, she was an exceptionally skilled archer who favored crossbows for their portability and increased penetrating power compared to most conventional bows. Her skill had even been recognized by the Titan of the Hunt, Lelantos, during the Titanomachy and earned her a magical crossbow which fired Celestial Bronze bolts that always returned to the user and which thus effectively had unlimited ammo.

"Yeah, Kaiya, use your brain a little." Michael Royston teased.

"Oh shut up. Mike. You didn't know they could do any of that either." His twin, Michelle, shot back as she smacked him in the arm.

Michael and Michelle Royston, were a pair of fraternal twin children of Janus. Both of them were typical sword and shield wielders who were pretty average in skill. Both favored an Imperial Gold gladius but while Michael paired his with an oval scutum, his sister used a smaller buckler. Their lack of skill was why they were in the middle of their formation. That and because it was one of the best spots for them to be kept safe in battle while still allowing them to use their power.

The twins could manipulate probability. It was a powerful ability but they could only do so when they were touching each other, which made it difficult to use in combat. That and their poor control often led to unforeseen outcomes when they used it made them something of a liability.

Thankfully, they had learned to always team up with their friend Lucas Ortega, son of Tyche. The Mexican's own limited probability manipulation complimented the Royston twins' well and greatly reduced the chance of their power backfiring. He was also the physically strongest demigod in the squad, one of the strongest who didn't outright possess super strength that Alabaster knew, and was a very skilled rapier user too. A fact he used to defend the twins when they needed to channel their power.

"Don't tease the girl with the crossbow Mike." Lucas said in warning, though it was somewhat spoiled by the mischief shining brightly in his eyes. "Not unless you want her to put a bolt in your backside."

Playing along with Lucas, Kaiya aimed her crossbow in Mike's general direction, as Alabaster took his turn to take care of the Myrmekes ahead. Something he did by roasting them in white hot flames whose heat bypassed their thick armor and cooked them alive.

"Ok. Ok. I'll stop." Mike replied, his hands up in the universal sign for surrender.

This was met with giggling from the team's other archer, Vera Weber.

"You're such a dork, Mike. You know that right." The daughter of Cupid teased her boyfriend as she got herself under control.

Vera was German by birth but her mother had moved to the States when she was just a baby to escape the more numerous and powerful monsters in the Old World. As an archer she would have taken a turn at clearing the tunnel ahead except she was only limited to six arrows a day. Taking into account that these were some of her father's Arrows of Romance and allowed her to make her targets fall in love with her, saving those arrows for later was the best option. Typically she used it to make monsters fall in love with her and fight by her side. Though she never used it on people, citing previous bad experience with a stalker as an explanation.

Despite how impressive this power was, it was still annoying that the restrictions on the Arrows meant she could not use conventional arrows. For her, it was either or, not both. She made up for it with decent skill with her Imperial Gold gladius.

"You are all too relaxed." Hakim Saleh, son of Leucothea said from the rear. "Did you forget that we are in the enemy's lair?"

He was an African-American with the power of hydrokinesis. Unlike the infamous Hero of Olympus, Percy Jackson however his power was not about large scale manipulation of water but instead about fine control. In fact, his level of control had grown to the point that he'd developed Toxikinesis which he used to manipulate a vat of mercury that he carried around which he could then shape into shields of various shapes. He occasionally used it offensively as well, but mainly relied on manipulating vials of other poisons like Hydra acid for that.

"You're too stiff, Hakim." Michelle replied. "It's not like anything is getting past that glowing giant."

"Yeah, the ants have tried biting it and spraying it with acid and it's not even flinched. I don't think we have anything to worry about."

"Vera and Michelle are right, man." Lucas added. "That thing is a perfect living shield."

"Living? Is that thing even really alive?"

"I don't know Mike," Alabaster said irritably as he cooked another Myrmeke. "Does it matter?"

The boy shrugged.

Suddenly the Outsider stopped.

"What's going on?" Hakim asked. "Why have we stopped?"

"It looks like we're entering into a larger chamber." Kaiya informed the group as she peered over the Outsider's shoulder cautiously. "I think it's some kind of intersection. There are tunnels branching out in every direction."

"The perfect place for an ambush." Alabaster noted, the others nodding in agreement.

"We'll have to risk it." Lucas said, as he pointed to the far side of the chamber. "The path to the queen's chamber is that way isn't it?"

Alabaster consulted the enchanted compass he'd created (each team had one) and nodded grimly. "The most direct path is that way, yes."

"I say we go for it." Kaiya added her vote. "I'd rather not spend too much time down here if I can help it."

"Agreed." The twins said in unison.

"Vera? Lucas? Hakim?"

"I go where the twins go."

"Yeah, I'm not about to leave Mike in the lurch." Vera added.

Hakim just nodded.

"It's agreed then." Alabaster concluded. "Everyone be careful. We'll sprint through to the tunnel directly across from us. Once we're inside they won't be able to gang up on us."

The others nodded.

"Let's go."

The Outsider gave no sign that it had been paying attention to the demigods as the conferred but it nevertheless heeded Alabaster's order without question and slithered into the chamber, the halfbloods running right behind it.

Almost immediately, Myrmekes swarmed out of the various tunnels that led into the chamber save for the one behind the group.

Without breaking her stride, Vera nocked her Arrows and let fly. Even if the arrows had not been supernaturally blessed with unerring accuracy, she couldn't have missed. There were so many Myrmekes that the whole chamber, roughly a hundred meters long and thirty wide, was almost completely full of them. As the Arrows worked their magic, six of the largest Myrmekes abruptly began attacking their fellows. Clearly caught by surprise by this turn of events, dozens of the giant ants died as Vera called her thralls to the group's side to act as a moving wall of protective chitin.

The twins meanwhile were holding hands as they ran, channeling their power. To the unaware observer, it didn't seem to be doing anything. But Alabaster knew that their power ensured that every blow the team made had the maximum impact even as the oversized insects' own attacks missed their mark.

Keeping to the flanks, Lucas and Hakim kept the whole group safe. The latter with his mercury shield and by lashing out with whips of hydra acid that easily ate through the tough Myrmeke carapace and reduced two or three of them into piles of gold dust with each pass. Lucas meanwhile picked off any ant that got pass his comrades with lethal and precise thrusts of his rapier.

They were halfway across the cavern in under a minute but then their progress quickly slowed as the swarming ants managed to bog down even the Outsider. They could not hurt it, but it was soon forced to slow down to smash the ants into dust with its heavy blows just to clear the way. A task that caused it to hiss in obvious irritation. Just behind it, Kaiya and Alabaster helped it out as best they could. Alabaster with blasts of white fire and Kaiya with bolts from her crossbow.

"Hurry! Get in!" Alabaster shouted as the Outsider slithered into the tunnel they needed to go through and began clearing a path for them by smashing any unfortunate giant ants in its way. "Kaiya, help me cover them."

"You got it, boss." The daughter of Apollo replied cheerily as she began firing into the horde of Myrmekes as quickly as she could reload and pull the trigger, which as it turned out was incredibly fast. It was almost like watching a machine gun.

Even as the son of Hecate admired his friend's skill, he too added his firepower to the suppressing fire. Subvocalizing his spell words, a new trick he'd developed to help hide his choice of spells from his enemies, Alabaster unleashed a storm of lightning into the sea of monsters. It was risky using lightning like this, with his comrades still within the area of effect but it was the most cost effective spell he had in his arsenal at the moment. They were still a ways from the Queen's chamber and he'd need to conserve his strength till then. Besides, he was confident in his ability to control the lightning.

That didn't stop it being nerve wracking to stand there channeling the raw electricity and watch his comrades escape to the relative safety of the tunnel. Time seemed to slow as first the twins and Luke, then Hakim and finally Vera and her controlled Myrmeke made it in. Finally, after what must have been only a minute but felt like an hour, Alabaster let go of his spell and joined Kaiya in running past the pair of Myrmekes Vera had left as their rearguard and rejoined the group.

Once they were about ten meters from the chamber, Alabaster turned around and cast another spell. Immediately, the earth shook violently and the part of the tunnel that led back the way the group came caved in.

"Damn." Vera cursed as the tremor stopped and she counted the number of thralls she still had under her command. "I've only got two of them left."

"At least we're alive." Mike said tiredly as he wiped the sweat from his brow. He and Michelle looked exhausted, far more than the intense but brief skirmish could account for even with how tiring he knew using their power could be.

"What do you mean?" Hakim asked, sounding like he didn't really want to know.

"That cave in?" Michelle replied pointing to the pile of rubble created by Alabaster's spell. "It should have killed us. It took a lot of power to avoid that."

Alabaster couldn't help flinching at the realization that he'd almost killed everyone.

"Good job, fearless leader." Kaiya said mockingly as she patted the son of Hecate on the back.

"Right, sorry about that." Alabaster said with a apologetic shrug. "Mike, Michelle, you guys good?"

Mike nodded as he handed his sister a canteen. She took a long drink before sealing it and putting it away.

"We're good." Michelle said with a confidence.

Alabaster nodded. "Then onwards."

* * *

They forged ahead down the tunnel, sniping Myrmekes ahead of them and occasionally those that tried to flank them from adjoining tunnels. Thankfully, they didn't come across anymore major intersections and thus were able to quickly fight their way through and seal the path behind them. They would have a hell of a time finding a way out later, but that was a concern for another time when they didn't have a Nest full of giant ants out to kill them. It took half an hour of this grueling trek, and almost a whole canteen of nectar to heal their injuries and as a boost of energy, before they made it to the destination.

The Queen's chamber.

It was however far from a sight for sore eyes. The whole massive cavern, it was at least the size of a football field, was completely full of Myrmekes. The only consolation being that they seemed smaller than the ones they'd been fighting so far, though their sheer numbers - there must have been hundreds of them - more than made up for it.

Worst of all, the ants were supported by their Queen. A massive creature with a forebody the size of an elephant, with huge snapping mandibles to match, diaphanous oval wings folded over a distended translucent abdomen filled with glowing eggs that Alabaster couldn't be sure the size of and onyx eyes that exuded deadly intelligence. It was spitting acid and lashing out with barbed appendages.

Its targets, fortunately, were not the newly arrived squad of demigods but rather a contingent of dracaena - roughly two squads worth if Alabaster's count was correct - that had formed up into a circle and were cutting its way through the horde alongside its remaining heavy support, a lone cyclops. However, just as Alabaster took note of its presence, said one-eyed giant was hit dead on by a blob of acid from the Queen. The creature screamed in agony as the acid ate through its body all the way to the bone before the damage proved too much and it dissolved into gold dust.

At the sight, the Outsider gave a furious hiss and charged into the fray. It smashed Myrmekes aside with a speed and fury that the surprised ants couldn't counter and within moments it quickly closed the considerable distance between it and the dracanae.

The halfbloods didn't need orders to know they needed to follow the monochrome giant, it was their best protection against the sea of angry arthropods. Unfortunately, they couldn't exactly keep up with it and they started to lag behind. Alabaster reacted quickly however and before the ants could fill the gap in their ranks that the Outsider had created, he called on the Mist to confuse and distract them. He conjured mirages of hundreds of other warriors assaulting the chamber. In response, the ants swarmed away from his squad to confront this imagined threat instead. Those that weren't fooled, the team easily dispatched.

The Outsider meanwhile had somehow extended its serpentine lower body immensely and used it to coil around the dracanae like a protective bulwark. That could be a problem.

"Run on through!" Hux called from inside the coils, "It'll phase to let you in."

With a horde of ants at their backs, the halfbloods didn't need to be told twice. With only a hint of hesitation, the group ran through the Outsider's coils. It was a truly strange experience doing so, passing through it gave Alabaster the same feeling as being teleported - something he had the pleasure of experiencing once or twice - but without actually going anywhere. A odd combination of feeling like he had traveled a great distance but knowing that he had not.

Alabaster shook it off, he had more important things to do than try to pin down the best way to describe the experience.

"Captain Hux, good to see you." The son of Hecate greeted the dracanae leader. "Ideas?"

"To the point, I see? Good." Hux hissed approvingly. She was dressed like her kin in a set of Greek style armor and helm adorned with many symbols of Ophis that protected her humanoid upper body, with the only sign of her rank being the gold inlays in her armor in contrast to the silver ones of her troops. Like them, she was equipped with a large shield - which Alabaster noted had patches that had been discolored by contact with the Myrmeke's acid - and a long spear tipped with Celestial Bronze.

"Well?"

"We need to kill the Queen obviously." Vera pointed out. "She's controlling the colony with pheromones I think. Send her to Tartarus and the control snaps and the whole swarm will scatter. It's their natural instinct to flee when without their Queen."

"And that's why Lady Ophis ordered us to kill her as our first objective." Hux said with a look of understanding.

"You learned that from your thralls, Vera?" Mike asked curiously.

"Yup." Vera said with a proud nod.

"That doesn't help us come up with any plans for our current situation, does it?" Hakim said as he eyed the regathering swarm warily. The Myrmekes had obviously taken the time that Ophis' warriors were using for a breather to regroup and from the looks of it call for reinforcements.

"We'll need to split their forces." Lucas suggested.

"The son of Tyche has a good idea." Hux agreed. "One group of us can distract the bulk of them, while the other takes out the Queen."

"How though?" Michelle asked worriedly. "We have only one Outsider. One of the teams would be very vulnerable."

Said Outsider was lashing out at the Myrmekes with its suddenly grossly extended arms. The ants had previously been giving it a wide berth, apparently unnerved by their inability to harm it but had now regained their courage thanks to their bolstered ranks.

"We'll have to risk it." Alabaster concluded. "It's the best plan I can come up with it."

"The Myrmekes are especially attracted to the Outsider." Hakim noted. "It would be best to use it as the distraction."

"I agree." Hux noted, she shot Alabaster a look and then gestured to her battered fellows. While they all looked ready and willing to do battle, their armor were chipped and discolored all over the place. They had taken quite the beating.

Alabaster got the hint.

Forcing down his fear at the prospect, the son of Hecate turned to his squad. "Guys, we'll take out the Queen."

"The Outsider?"

"The dracanae need it more, Mike. They need it for the distraction."

Mike didn't buy it, nobody did. They nevertheless all nodded.

"Lead the way, bossman." Kaiya said with an encouraging smile.

Alabaster leveled his Imperial Gold sword at the horde of Myrmekes and subvocalized a spell that sent a massive fireball flying through their ranks and reduced dozens of the giant ants to dust. The Queen, Alabaster's primary target, weathered the fireball by raising her heavily armored appendages in defense. The Queen hissed, in what he hoped was pain, but nevertheless successfully survived the flames.

The son of Hecate had not expected the fireball to take it out though, it however _did_ serve the purpose he intended. It cleared a path through the swarm.

"Go!"

The others heeded Alabaster's command and charged down the opening he'd created. The ants tried to intercept them but the Outsider lashed out with it's arms squashing and sweeping aside dozens of ants, helped along by spear thrusts and javelin throws by the dracaenae within its coils. The son of Hecate added the weight of his magic to this effort, using "Incantare: Stulti Carcer" to make the ants' legs feel like lead and glue them in place on as many targets as possible.

It was draining and he was barely able to keep up with the others.

_Damn! I won't be much use from-_

Alabaster didn't even finish the thought before he felt a surge of energy that filled him with strength. He easily recognized the source of the energy, he'd been exposed to it plenty over the past two days. It was Ophis'.

"Huh? So she's a more helpful matron than I'd thought she would be."

"Alabaster!"

Kaiya's call shook the son of Hecate out of his distraction, only to find a Myrmeke had taken advantage and was charging him. It's mandibles spread wide and ready to cut him in half.

"Shit!"

Alabaster was about to burn it but was saved the effort when Lucas counter charged the giant ant and proceeded to skillfully stab his rapier through a weak point in the attacking Myrmeke's armor behind its head. The creature promptly collapsed into a pile of gold dust.

"Pay attention."

"Sorry." Alabaster said as he sent a fireball behind Lucas to take out a pair of ants heading his way. "Thanks for the save."

The Mexican just nodded and gestured to the Queen, before running off in the same direction with Alabaster following behind him. Occasionally, they were forced to kill the odd ant that strayed into their path, but it was nothing they couldn't handle.

The others meanwhile were busy engaging the massive ant sovereign. Kaiya was firing at it at top speed, but the Queen's armor was proving resilient. Hakim was sending tendrils of mercury and his toxins whipping all over the place. Meanwhile, the twins took on dozens of ants that were trying to support their Queen with occasional help from Kaiya and Hakim.

"Lucas, help the twins. I'll deal with the Queen." Alabaster ordered as they closed with the monstrous Queen.

"I hope you have a plan, Al." Kaiya asked as she edged over while not letting up on her barrage of bolts at a joint in the Queen's forearm that moved to stab Alabaster but which Hakim parried with a tendril of mercury.

"Please tell us that you do." Hakim agreed, as he walked over.

"I do." Alabaster told them even as Hakim blocked a glob of acid that the Queen lobbed their way. "Incantare: Templum Incendere"

As the spell took effect, the Queen's abdomen spontaneously caught fire. The monster screeched in absolute agony and began writhing. It's massive bladed limbs were swinging dangerously in all directions but Hakim acted quickly, transforming his mercury whips into a protective dome over them.

"Kill it!" Alabaster ordered. "While it's distracted by the pain."

"On it!" Kaiya shouted back. "Hakim!"

Kaiya fired her bolts directly into the Queen's vulnerable eyes, which it was too distracted by her pain to properly defend and successfully adding to it's agony. Hakim whipped hydra acid across the giant ant's body, leaving deep cuts all over it. Something that he capped off by decapitating it, finally reducing it to golden dust.

"We did it!" Kaiya cheered.

As the Queen died, the remaining Myrmekes suddenly froze and turned to flee, even biting at each other in their haste to get away from their mother's killer. Something that sent a cheer ripping through the ranks of Ophis' warriors.

* * *

An hour later, Ophis teleported to the site of the battle. The first thing that caught her eye were the pair of Outsiders. Her two creations were busy carrying out the spoils of the operation from the remains of the Myrmeke Nest. There were huge piles of Celestial Bronze, Imperial Gold and odd Stygian Iron weapons, trinkets, and artifacts that the Myrmekes had collected over the years.

"Fidi, go take a tally." The Great Serpent ordered, gesturing to the growing pile of treasure.

"Yes, Lady Ophis."

Ophis nodded, she was not particularly concerned with the spoils. She was more worried about her men and so walked towards Hux and Alabaster who were standing at the head of her army as they milled about recovering from the battle.

"Casualties?" Ophis asked without preamble.

"We lost six of the cyclops and thirteen dracanae, and chalked up dozens of injuries." Alabaster reported dutifully.

Ophis nodded, then raised her hands and channeled her power. In flashes of black and white light, her dead subjects reappeared in the open desert next to their surviving comrades. At the same time, the wounds on all her soldiers spontaneously healed.

"Lady Ophis! Thank you!" Hux said genuinely, falling to her knees in her gratitude. The monsters in her ranks did likewise.

"Rise." Ophis said with a wave of her hand and a regal nod. Or at least she hoped that's what it like. She'd been practicing how to act regally, with help from Fidi and Calypso, but she honestly didn't know how well she was doing.

"Why?" Alabaster breathed disbelievingly from the side.

Ophis felt a little angry at that, and turned to him and hissed at him. "These are _my_ people! If I can do it, why shouldn't I tend to them?"

The son of Hecate paled at her anger, and quickly raised his hands in surrender. "I apologize, Lady Ophis. I was just shocked, is all. I never expect a divinity would be so… Err… Caring?"

"Would you expect any less from the Great Serpent?" Hux replied before Ophis could respond.

Alabaster just nodded, looking chastised.

"My Lady." Fidi said before the demigod could say anything. "I've finished the tally."

"And?"

"There's approximately two tons."

Ophis pouted at the news. "I knew this was a new and small Nest but I was hoping for more."

"To be fair, My Lady," Alabaster cut in. "It's precisely because this nest was new and small that we chose to target it. It made things easier."

"I know that." The young protogenos said with a frown, even as she stepped towards the pile of loot.

She examined the pile for a moment before she spread her arms over it and called on her power, causing the two tons of precious metal to glow with her signature black and white energy. As her power coursed through it, the metal started to melt and start to mix together before rapidly transforming into ingots of a new monochrome metal.

As the ingots cooled, Ophis turned to her troops and addressed them.

"This is what we fought so hard for!" She gestured towards the ingots. "Primordial Electrum. A metal twice as deadly to supernaturals and mortals as Celestial Bronze or Imperial Gold and which grows ever more deadly by absorbing the essence of its foes like Stygian Iron. The metal by which we will forge our weapons. Weapons that will make us the greatest force in the world!"

Her gathered troops cheered.

"Decent speech." Alabaster commented.

Ophis shot him a sheepish smile. "Thanks. Calypso wrote it."

"Figured as much." Alabaster said with a smirk.

The Great Serpent just shook her head in amusement at the boy's snark. It reminded her of Nico. That reminded her, there was one last thing that she needed Alabaster to do for her.

"Mind passing me an ingot."

"Sure." Alabaster said with a shrug as he walked over to do just that. "Why couldn't you get it yourself though?"

"It needed to be from you. Otherwise, it wouldn't have the symbolic value of that I needed." Ophis explained.

"Those conditions…" The son of Hecate said as his brilliant mind worked out her plan. "Those quests you sent your brother and the Son of Jupiter on... Are you forging a symbol of power?"

* * *

**And that's done.**

**This was hard to write. Work had made it hard to write on this story for a while so I took quite a hiatus before I could pick this up again. I hope the quality has not dropped too much.**

**So this chapter has offered a little more insight into what Ophis is doing. Also I hope you guys like the alternative route I took with Alabaster. He was tough to keep in-character because we have so little from canon to go on. Besides that, I hope the OCs were interesting too, without being too distracting, since they are unlikely to make much of an appearance again. I included them entirely because Alabaster would at least know the basics about his comrades/subordinates, at least in reference to their combat ability.**

**I hope all that proved interesting.**

**I guess that's all I have to say. Till next time.**


	5. Big Brother Courier

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Chapter 4: Big Brother Courier**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

In the living room of her Waldorf Astoria home, Ophis and Nico were lounging on their couch as the ending credits for Disney's _Hercules_ played across the screen of the television.

"That was a good movie." Ophis said as she reached down to pick up the remote to turn off the television.

"Yeah," Nico agreed as he got up from his seat to help clear away the remains of the snacks they'd enjoyed during their movie - empty boxes of popcorn and bottles of soda. "I can see why Father would like it. Disney might have made him a villain in the movie, but at least he looked cool."

Ophis nodded.

"I think Big Brother Hades would secretly like having that kinda flaming hair too, but Persephone probably vetoed it." Ophis chimed in as she tagged along with her brother as he took their rubbish into the kitchen to toss it.

"Probably." Nico agreed, while turning to the fridge and examined its contents. "Want a drink, Oppy?"

"Thanks, but I'm fine." The little girl said with a smile even as she peered over her brother's head to see what he was getting. In the process, she spotted some frozen dormice. The exotic bit of Roman cuisine brought a frown to her face.

"I wish Hazel could be here." She said as the two siblings returned to the living room, Nico now armed with a fresh bottle of coke.

"I do too." Nico admitted. "But she has duties to complete as a member of the Legion."

Throwing herself onto the couch in a fit of pique, Ophis replied petulantly. "I resurrected Big Sister Hazel, so I should be the one that decides where she goes."

"Don't be such a brat. Oppy." Nico chided, looking Ophis in the eyes seriously. "You got into enough trouble with Father and Lord Thanatos for reviving Hazel in the first place. Asking to get away with more after that is too much. Besides, Hazel is where she belongs."

"Fine." Ophis snapped, her arms crossed defiantly.

"Come on, Oppy, don't be like that." Nico said placatingly as he went to sit next to his sister and looked at her earnestly. "All I'm saying is that the next time you find someone interesting in the Underworld just leave them be."

A still pouting Ophis nodded and changed the subject. "Let's talk about the movie." Nico smiled and nodded. "Besides Big Brother Hades everyone else weren't exactly good portrayals were they?"

"Not really, but-" Nico was interrupted by Lily poking her bow adorned head out from under the pile of pillows at the end of the couch she'd been hiding under to complain.

"Mummy, Uncle Nico, you're loud. Lily wants to sleep."

"Sorry sweetie." Ophis said as she reached over to stroke her daughter's head lovingly. "Go back to sleep. We'll be quiet from now on."

"Ok." The snake said sleepily as it retreated under its pillow fort, her mother and uncle watching on in amusement.

The two siblings exchanged smiles before Nico picked up their conversation again but now at a much softer volume. "As I was saying, the movie was by Disney and they aren't exactly known for being true to their source material."

"If they were then Hercules would be a jerk." Fidi chimed in as she walked into the room laden down with a stack of documents.

Nico boggled at the mountain of paper even as the nymph set them down on the coffee table and Ophis slid down the couch to work on them.

"That's a lot of paperwork."

"Not really, Big Brother." Ophis waved away his surprise as she rapidly scanned through the documents. "Calypso deals with loads more."

The son of Hades winced in sympathy for his little sister's personal assistant.

"Did you enjoy the movie, My Lady?" Fidi asked while Nico was busy imagining the scale of the bureaucracy his little sister had seemingly created out of nowhere.

"Yup. It was nice." Ophis nodded with childish exuberance, which set a strange contrast to the appearance of a professional that she gave out as she worked to finish her paperwork. "Though you're right about Hercules. The movie version is nothing like the real person."

That caught Nico's attention. "You're met him?"

"We had some business with him."

"Business? What business?" Nico asked as he looked at Ophis searchingly. What could his little sister want with the minor god?

Ophis squirmed uncomfortably under her brother's gaze -which earned him a disapproving glare from Fidi that he ignored with practiced ease- and was about to cave when she was saved by the arrival of Calypso.

"Godly business, Son of Hades. Now leave your little sister alone." The sorceress barked as she teleported into the suite while carrying even more documents.

"Really?"

Ophis breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

"You seem to have a lot of that lately, Oppy. What's this godly business all about anyways? And why can't I know about it?" Nico frowned. He didn't like being kept in the dark, not where his little sister was concerned. Especially not when she was dealing with people, like gods, who could really hurt her.

Ophis quickly shot looks to both Fidi and Calypso who both shook their heads. Sporting a mighty frown, she turned to Nico. "I'm sorry Nico, but I can't tell you. It's against the rules."

_Rules?_ The son of Hades thought in confusion. _There really are rules about these kinda things? Well, if that's the case…_

"Hey don't sweat it, Oppy." Nico said as he reached over and ruffled his sister's hair playfully. "It's ok. I know you would tell me if you could. I don't want you to become a rule breaker on my account."

Ophis slapped her brother's hands away and began fixing her hair but nevertheless managed to shoot him a grateful smile.

"Nico," Fidi cut in as she looked up from checking the document that Ophis had just signed.

"Would you like to help My Lady with some of her godly business?"

Both Ophis and Calypso shot the serpent nymph a look. Even Lily poked her head out of her nest of cushions to peer at her.

"What can I do?"

"Nothing." Ophis cut in angrily while shooting Fidi a reproving look that Lily emulated as she slithered out of her cocoon to join her mother on the floor by the coffee table.

"Actually, My Lady," Calypso intervened. "I think Fidi made a good suggestion."

Ophis shot her a betrayed look.

"I'm sorry, My Lady, but you know I'm right."

Slipping down the couch himself, Nico knelt beside his sister and squeezed her shoulder.

"I don't know what's got you so worried Oppy, but if I can help. At all. I'd be glad to."

Ophis looked between her two servants and her brother, all of them giving her encouraging nods.

"Ok." She said in a soft unsure voice, prompting Nico to squeeze her shoulder again. She turned to face him then and taking a deep breath began to explain. "I need a child of the Underworld to do a quest for me."

"And you didn't ask me because you didn't want to take advantage of me being your Big Brother?" Ophis nodded, earning her another ruffling of her hair. "Silly Oppy."

"Don't call Mummy silly." Lily said warningly as she wrapped herself around her mother's body. "You're sad, mummy. Let me hug you and cheer you up."

"You just want to cuddle." Ophis said as she stroked the snake's scales, a smile on her lips. One shared by all the room's other occupants.

Lily didn't deny the accusation and instead chose to hide her face.

The smiles just grew broader at the adorable display.

Nico however was not going to let his niece, adorable or not, distract him. His sister needed his help and he was going to give it.

"So what do you need me to do?"

Ophis sighed, likely having hoped that Nico had been distracted enough to forget about the quest entirely.

"Well, you see, I need one of Thanatos' feathers. One collected by a child of the Underworld."

"It's gotta be a child of the Underworld?"

Ophis nodded.

_Why so specific?_ Nico wondered as he tried to work out how he'd even attempt doing something like that. Going up against the god of death was not going to be easy.

"Don't be so alarmed, Nico." Calypso cut in from where she was sorting through the documents. "All you need to do is to get Thanatos to give up a feather freely."

"That's a tall order."

"So you can't do it?" Fidi asked challengingly as she walked in from the kitchen with a tray of drinks for everyone. Nico hadn't even noticed that she'd left.

"Of course I can." Nico shot back while glaring at his sister's handmaiden.

"Prove it." Fidi said as she put a fresh bottle of coke in front of the demigod's face and returning his glare with one of her own.

Things were prevented from getting more heated though when Lily sleepily cut in, "Noisy. I wanna nap."

With a smile on her face, Ophis shushed her daughter before turning to glare warningly at her handmaiden and brother.

_Message received Oppy. If we want to fight don't let it disturb Lily._

Not that Nico wanted to argue with Fidi. He had better things to do.

"I'll do the quest."

Ophis looked up sharply from where she'd been watching Lily sleep.

"You sure, Big Brother?"

"You can count on me."

* * *

In a forest clearing encircled by various coniferous trees within the temperate rainforest that dominated much of Olympic National Park, Washington, the death god Thanatos stood amid the light drizzle that was so common in the area. He was on a rare break from his unending duty and had decided to spend it enjoying the beauty of nature.

His reverie was broken however when he sensed the slight build up of power in a nearby patch of shadow, which as he turned his honey gold eyes to observe he noted was writhing unnaturally.

If he was not such a controlled god he might have sighed in annoyance. Instead, the only sign of his displeasure was the squaring of his shoulders, the crossing of his muscular arms, and the folding of his previously spread wings.

The Reaper had barely finished donning his mask of indifference when the shadows deposited the demigod son of his lord, Nico di Angelo. The boy looked a little worse for wear, which wasn't a surprise considering what he'd been doing lately.

"At last." The demigod said with feeling as he spotted the waiting god. "Lord Thanatos, I've been looking for you for two whole days."

"For what purpose, Nico di Angelo?" The god asked imperiously.

Taking the god's tone as the hint it was, the boy recomposed himself before making his request. "I'm on a quest for my sister, Ophis. She needs me to collect one of your feathers."

Both males turned to look at the god's dark wings that shimmered with shades of blue, black and purple.

"That should not be an issue." The god said graciously, but continued before the mortal could offer his thanks. "For a price."

The demigod stiffened at that but nevertheless nodded.

_Good, At least he understands that nothing is free in this world._

"What is it that you need, Lord Thanatos?"

"A extension to my current break from work." Thanatos said as he swept his gaze over the clearing. "I've taken a liking to this region and would like some more time to explore it."

"I'd need to see my Father for that, won't I?"

The god of death nodded.

"Alright. I'll do it." Nico said after a moment of thought. "Where can I find you once I get his permission."

"My current break lasts for another two days. If you fail to return by then, I'll have moved on to Canada and Alaska to carry out my duties there." The god explained, enjoying how the boy's eyes widened at the mention of Canada and Alaska.

_So he understands how impossible it would be to find me in that expanse? That will serve as ample motivator, I think, to have him return while I'm still in the area._

"That means I only have a two day deadline?" The demigod muttered under his breath, perhaps believing that he would not be overheard.

The god felt no need to disabuse him of this foolish notion.

Finally after two wasted minutes, the boy finally seemed to have finished gathering his wits. Turning to face the death god, he said, "I'll be back in two days for that feather, Lord Thanatos."

The god offered the boy an encouraging nod.

With that dismissal, the boy turned and ran into a nearby shadow.

Seeing that the boy was gone, the god relaxed a touch and ran a hand through his long flowing hair in exasperation. "Ophis is playing with fire." He sighed. "Making this quest this easy. There will be consequences for this."

"But that is none of my concern." The god said after a moment, before walking into the forest to further enjoy his time in nature's bounty.

* * *

Nico tumbled out of a shadow into his Father's throne room.

"That was strange. It was almost like there was resistance when I tried to Shadow Travel in." The son of Hades said with a confused frown as he dusted himself off.

"Because there was," The lord of the Underworld said in greeting. He was seated on his throne, his hands steepled as he looked down at his son with amusement.

Turning sharply to face his father, Nico bowed. "Hello Father. Mind telling me why you tried to block me from visiting."

Smirking at Nico's cheek, the god of the dead replied, "It's not just you I'm afraid. My Palace is closed to all mortals, as are much of the domains of the gods, by the order of Zeus."

"Wha-" A startled Nico managed, before Hades continued ignoring his son's interruption.

"If not for my help redirecting you here to face me, you'd have ended up at the gates no matter how hard you tried."

_Well that explains why I ended up directly here in his throne room where he was waiting for me. And nicely skips over explaining Zeus' order too. Sneaky, Father. Sense the Sarcasm._ Seeing that his Father was in a monologuing mood, the son of Hades wisely chose to keep his thoughts to himself this time.

"I chose to do so to save some time. The less time you spend here, in defiance of Zeus' edict, the better. If my brother ever discovered you were here, his punishment towards you will be quite _severe_." The god's displeased look as he emphasized the last word was more than enough to tell Nico that he especially wanted to avoid getting himself subjected to Zeus' wrath.

"Right." Nico said gulping a little as his mind rather unhelpfully wondered about what that punishment could possibly be. "So I'm on a quest for Ophis, and-"

"She needs you to bring her one of Thanatos' feathers, which he will only give you in exchange for an extension of his break?" Hades said as he leaned forward to smirk at his son.

"How?"

"You will find Nico that we gods tend to have eyes and ears everywhere."

"Ophis kept you informed didn't she?" Nico said skeptically. He knew for a fact that his overprotective sister was tracking his every move, and it was no stretch of the imagination to think she'd share that information with his father.

"Perhaps." The god hedged as he leaned back on his throne with a frown.

_I totally called it._

"So will you help?" Nico asked, even as he couldn't resist smirking at getting one over his Father.

"I am agreeable." Hades said with a mild glare at his son's happiness at his expense. "But on the condition that you assist me with an errand first. I'd like you to deliver something to your grandmother for me."

"Sounds easy enough."

"Don't be so sure Nico." Hades warned, conjuring a package wrapped in brown packing paper in front of Nico. "Mother Rhea has managed to keep her exact location at any given time hidden for millennia. Even we gods only rarely have the chance to meet her."

"Oh." Nico said with a sigh as he contemplated spending days searching for the elusive Titaness while he picked up the package. "Are there any clues that you can give me Father?"

"Hecate's magic will aid you there." Hades said before he snapped his fingers and the shadows came to life around Nico.

The demigod barely flinched as the shadows engulfed him at his Father's command. Before the Shadow Travel fully came into effect however, he heard a final warning from his Father. "Nico, use your Shadow Travel sparingly or you won't have your strength when you'll need it most."

With those parting words echoing in his ear, Nico found himself transported outside Hades' Palace and staring up at its shut gates.

* * *

Nico had taken his Father's warning to heart, as such instead of using Shadow Travel to transport him to Hecate's abode, he had walked. It might have taken longer but it did give him a bit of a chance to unwind and recover from two days of almost non-stop searching and Shadow Traveling, which until his Father had mentioned it he had not even noticed had started to take its toll on him. Of course walking was tiring in itself but compared to the way he'd been pushing himself lately, it was quite relaxing.

It took him half a day to reach Hecate's home, mainly because he set an easy pace and had stopped to take a well deserved nap, but all told he felt he made good time.

The goddess of magic's residence was a cave set into the rock walls of the caverns that made up the Underworld. It was located some distance -measuring exact distances in legendary realms like the Underworld was an exercise in futility- east of Elysium and Hades' Palace and at the very edge of his Father's domain. Beyond her home, the Underworld was an untamed place filled with dangers: monsters, rogue spirits of the dead and who knew what else. It was only fitting that the goddess of crossroads resided in this place which marked the boundary between the civilized afterlife and the chaos beyond.

Not that Nico was in any mood to ponder any of this as he stepped into the goddess' domicile. While he had been glad to take a break while coming here, now that he was at the next stage of his quest, he was reminded of the looming deadline that awaited him and was thus anxious to hurry things along.

Thankfully it seemed that Hecate was of the same mind as he spotted her the moment he entered her library of a home. No mean feat since from previous experience visiting with Ophis, who had come seeking advice on magic, he knew the interior of the goddess' cave dwelling was a massive labyrinthine library. Trying to find its owner within could have been a quest all onto itself.

"Greetings Nico," The goddess warmly, something he knew was entirely due to her friendship with his sister, as she put down the tome she had been reading. "I have been expecting you."

The goddess had dark hair that she was wearing down and was dressed in a sleeveless white dress upon which mystical symbols freely moved about. She was sitting in a comfortable wing back chair and studied Nico with a closed off expression that belied her earlier warmth.

"Greetings Lady Hecate," Nico greeted with a bow. "Ophis?"

"Yes," The dark lady said with an amused smile. "Your sister has been most helpful to you in this quest, informing myself, your father and even Thanatos to expect you."

"If she's already in touch with everyone I need to meet, then what's the point of the quest then?" Nico said as he exasperatedly ran his hands through his hair.

Hecate shook her head in apparent disappointment. "Oh, the quest has meaning. She would not have sent you on it if it did not. She merely cannot tell you, not yet."

"Because it's godly business?" Nico guessed.

The goddess shot him a warning look at his interruption, but continued. "Is that what she calls it? Appropriate, I suppose. But no, in this case, it is more to the fact that if you knew then it would cheapen the whole value of the quest."

Nico frowned at that as he tried to puzzle out what that meant.

"Something given without knowledge is worth more than something offered with full knowing." Hecate offered at his confusion.

The son of Hades nodded. _That's actually a pretty good reason to keep me in the dark. Especially if the feather is important, somehow._

"Then there is also the matter of Zeus' edict. In light of it, Ophis needed to tell us to expect you or we would not know to allow you to enter our presence in defiance of it." The goddess continued.

"About that-"

"Do not ask about that demigod. Do not tempt Zeus' wrath." The goddess cut Nico off before he could ask about Zeus' order.

Nico was suddenly reminded of all the things he imagined Zeus could do to him as punishment and wisely keep quiet on the matter.

"Though I must admit that Ophis' behavior stems in large part from youthful inexperience and a sense of misplaced overprotectiveness." Hecate added sounding disgusted with his sister's motives. "That said, whatever her motives, I'm obliged to play along. Even with her request to try to explain the situation to you."

_So that's why Hecate's being so talkative._

"After all, I do owe her quite the debt for helping me deal with the situation regarding my children."

"Your children?" Nico muttered. _Since when has Ophis had anything to do with any children of Hecate?_

"You'll find out soon enough." The goddess explained mysteriously, before she leveled Nico with an ominously serious look.

"Heed my warning child, your sister's meddling in your quest will have consequences. Be prepared for them."

The son of Hades nodded, even as a shiver ran down his spine.

"Good. Then the first part of your sister's request is dealt with." The goddess said with finality. "Now, you require my help?"

"Right," Nico jumped in. "I need a way, a spell maybe, to find Lady Rhea."

"That should be simple enough. I just require a catalyst. Something that is sacred to her should be good enough."

Nico blinked in shock. "It's that easy? If that's the case then why has she been missing for millennia?"

"Because her children respect her wishes to be left alone and ask that the other gods do the same." Hecate explained. "It is not that she is hard to find. It is simply that she does not want to be found and we respect that. But enough talk, go fetch me a catalyst and we can get this over with."

Sensing the goddess' impatience, Nico simply bowed and stepped into a nearby shadow.

* * *

He returned ten minutes later having made a quick stop to the Los Angeles zoo to pick up a lion -one of Rhea's sacred animals- to use as a catalyst. Something that had been surprisingly easy to pull off. All he'd needed to do was use his fear inducing ability to panic the pride and then herd one of them into a shadow portal before stepping through himself.

As he exited the shadows, he found that Hecate had already bound the lion in a set of glowing green chains that were made out of what looked like runes and placed it in the center of a magic circle.

"You were sloppy, son of Hades." The goddess reprimanded even as she moved her hands in various gestures that Nico surmised were part of the spell. "You should have brought me either a dead or at least sleeping lion. Bringing one that I had to restrain myself? That was just rude."

Nico winced. He really didn't want to offend the goddess and make an enemy of her. Not when it was clear that Ophis had quite a few dealings with her. He didn't want to make things difficult for his sister.

"My sincere apologies Lady Hecate. I wasn't thinking."

"Clearly not." Hecate said as she crossed her arms to glare at Nico. Apparently the spell was finished. "Rhea is currently at Blood Mountain on the Appalachian Trail. I'm afraid I can't get anything more precise than that.

"That's quite alright, Lady Hecate." Nico said politely, quashing his sense of frustration. "The general area is good enough. I'll handle the rest from here."

"Well then, good luck young demigod." Hecate said dismissively as she turned to walk away. "You'll need it."

The son of Hades fought off the shiver at that last bit and bravely stepped into a shadow.

* * *

As he left, Hecate turned back with narrowed eyes leveled at where he'd last been.

"He forgot the lion." The goddess said in a coldly angry voice.

"Don't be upset, Hecate." Ophis said as she materialized next to the bound beast. "I'll take care of it."

The older immortal shot her a displeased look. "You're spoiling him."

"Thank you for everything, Hecate." Ophis said, completely ignoring Hecate's reprimand as she teleported away with the lion in tow.

_There will be consequences for this._ Hecate mused as she shook her head in exasperation before turning away and walking further into her home. _To know she is at the crossroads and to willfully walk the more dangerous path? Is this youthful naivety? Overconfidence? Whatever it is, I hope, for all our sakes, that she grows up. Soon._

* * *

Shadow Travel contrary to popular belief was not instantaneous teleportation from one shadow to another. It was rapid yes, but there was a small gap of time between shadows. It was this small window of opportunity that users exploited to direct their course. Nico was no exception, so as he Shadow Traveled from Hecate's home to Blood Mountain, he used the time as he moved from shadow to shadow to zero in on Rhea's divine presence so that he would exit a shadow as close to her as possible.

Redirecting a Shadow Travel like this was both hard and imprecise but Nico was confident he'd managed it. Thus when he felt a force unexpectedly booting him out of the shadows just short of his intended destination, he couldn't help but curse.

"Damn it!" The son of Hades shouted as he fell out of the shadows and landed in the middle of a forest. One that was on fire and had a massive bird made of flame perched on a burning tree and leering down at him.

"Glad of you to join me, son of Hades." The monstrous firebird said in a surprisingly regal voice. Who'd expect a bird of all things to have a voice that invoked the image of the kings and queens of old?

Nico however was unimpressed by the monster's polished voice, instead choosing to busy himself with dusting himself off.

Undeterred, the monster continued with its introduction. "I am Phoenix, your death."

"You do know that that was a terribly cliche introduction, correct?" Nico replied with a snort, even as he drew his sword in anticipation of the fight to come.

"Perhaps, but it's still true." The firebird boasted as its flapped its wings hard, conjuring a fire tornado that quickly engulfed a surprised Nico as he did so.

The son of Hades was not so easily defeated however and Phoenix was quickly forced to flee into the air when a spire of stone shot out of the ground and destroyed his perch in an attempt to skewer him.

His focus broken by the need to save his own life, his fire tornado quickly faded. As the flames dissipated, it revealed a stone dome that was glowing red hot from the intense heat of his earlier attack. A dome that promptly exploded, sending its remains flying in all directions as deadly hail. The monster was forced to make hasty maneuvers to avoid the barrage, but even then was still showered with shrapnel and was sent reeling through the air.

"Gotcha." Nico gloated as he walked out of the remains of his earthen shelter.

His victory was short lived however as the firebird recovered almost immediately and began circling back, shooting a stream of fire at him as it did.

Acting quickly, the son of Hades summoned a new wall of earth to protect himself from the attack. "This doesn't make sense. I hurt him. I saw it. But he's better already? How?"

"Geokinesis again, son of Hades?" The monster asked tauntingly, as it switched to launching firebolts. "I suppose I must commend your skill with it. Though I warn you that the earth is _my_ ally, not yours."

"Whatever you say you flaming chicken." Nico shot back, drawing on an insult Percy had once used to describe Phoenix when they'd talked about the possibility of fighting it, even as he retaliated with his own shadowbolts.

The monster didn't even bother evading Nico's return fire, instead letting it blast whole chunks of its body off. One even took off its head. But right before Nico's eyes the wounds filled with fire and healed themselves.

_Regeneration._ Nico said in shock, only now recalling this particular ability of the monster.

Phoenix took advantage of Nico's distraction however and launched a massive fireball his way. Instinctively, the son of Hades called on the earth to transform the remains of his first shelter around him into another protective dome. But nothing happened.

Thankfully for Nico, his reflexes was just fast enough that in spite all of that he still managed to dive out of the way of the attack. Mostly, at least. It still left him with some pretty painful burns along his back where the fireball winged him, but at least he wasn't fried to a crisp.

Rolling on the ground to smother his flaming clothes and to get away from the monster's follow up barrage of firebolts, Nico couldn't help but ponder about why his geokinesis had suddenly failed him.

Quickly realizing now was not the time to worry about such things, Nico pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind, got up and ran for the trees. Staying out in the open in the clearing was not a good idea. It was just making him an easy target for Phoenix to shoot at him from the air. As her ran, he occasionally twisted his body back to fire the odd shadowbolt at the monster in a bid to fend him off.

They did little damage but it kept the monster at bay for the most part.

"Stop that you little punk." Phoenix roared. "Those things sting."

_Like I'm gonna listen to you._

Nico was within three feet of the treeline when his opponent apparently decided it was time to change tactics. Instead of blasting at him with elemental attacks, the monstrous avian instead decided to dive down at him, talons first.

The monster's dive was too quick for Nico to line up a shadowbolt, so he instinctively resorted to his only other weapon, his sword. Ducking to the side of Phoenix's grabbing claws, Nico swung his sword desperately. It cut through the flames of the monster's body easily, severing its right leg.

What was surprising however was that it didn't immediately heal. Well that and Phoenix's agonized scream as it slammed into the ground, as the pain caused it to fail to pull up in time.

Nico in turn could only look at his Stygian Iron sword in awe.

His respite did not last long though as he soon found himself being forced to avoid a barrage of firebolts as Phoenix shakily stood on a new leg.

_Is he slightly smaller than before?_

"Curses." The monster said as it took to the air once more, choosing to hover in the center of the clearing. "I'd forgotten that Stygian Iron attacks life force directly and that even I am not immune to having my life force drained."

"You're telling me your weakness?" Nico said incredulously as he spun behind a tree for cover as he took his opponent getting into the air as an opportunity for a breather.

"It's not like it matters." Phoenix declared confidently as he flapped his wings hard, sending crescents of flame down at Nico and forcing him to run for new cover as they cut the tree he was hiding behind into pieces. "You only have a sword. I can fly. So long as I stay in the air, you can't hurt me with it."

"Then I'll just have to cut those wings of yours off, won't I?"

"I'd like to see you try." The firebird shot back as it conjured a pair of large fire tornadoes and sent them hurtling through the forest at Nico. He ran to avoid them but they were too fast and too big to evade, and were quickly gaining on him.

_Shit! Without my geokinesis…_ Nico thought in a panic as he realized all this, before he recalled there was still one source of power he'd not yet tapped in this fight. _I hope this works!_

Focusing deep within himself, he called upon the power granted to him as the Champion of Ophis. Immediately, his body was encased in an aura of pure black and white even as Ophis' ouroboros symbol flashed into existence over his head.

_A little more. Just in case._

Putting those thoughts to action, Nico pulled the surrounding shadows to him to create a suit of dark armor. With his preparations made, the demigod abruptly turned on heel and ran _towards_ the converging flaming twisters.

"Have you lost your mind, son of Hades?" Phoenix shouted in shock at the sight.

In fact, he was so preoccupied with what seemed like his opponent committing suicide that the monster completely failed to notice as dozens of spears made of shadows shot up from the many shadows in the burning forest at him. He only noticed when the constructs tore through his wings and sent him crashing towards the ground. He tried to regenerate, but the shadow spears stayed stubbornly embedded in his wings, making it impossible to heal the wounds they had created. He was thus unable to prevent himself from falling to the earth below.

Phoenix landed in an undignified heap but rapidly scrambled to its feet and began to pluck the pesky spears out of its wings with its beak. It had barely began however when a figure in pitch black armor that covered its wearer from head to toe burst out of the firestorm all around him and slammed into his side, sending him crashing onto the ground once more.

With the monster sprawled under him from his tackle, Nico struck hard and fast. He did not want to give Phoenix time to recover its wits. He stabbed and hacked at the firebird with his Stygian Iron sword with fury, eliciting terrible screams of pain from the monster with each strike. It took two torturous minutes but finally the legendary bird of rebirth disintegrated into a pile of gold dust and a lone fiery feather for a spoil.

Breathing a sigh of relief at his victory, the demigod let his shadowy armor and his borrowed power loose. Picking up the spoil, he reached behind his back to pull off his charred backpack. He flinched as the action pulled at some of his burns but otherwise ignored the pain. He could deal with it later.

Instead, he offered his silent thanks to Calypso for enchanting his backpack to be fire resistant. That was likely the only reason why it was still intact. Unfortunately, it was the only bit of his gear that was. The neatly packed packages of ambrosia squares and food as well as the bottles of nectar and water were all ruined. They had all been crushed at some point in the fight, their containers had popped open and their contents reduced to a slushy mess.

Nico was tired and hurt. But he wasn't that tired and hurt. There was no way that he was eating that. Besides in the state it was in, he wasn't sure whether eating it would do more harm than good.

Emptying the backpack of the mess, he was glad however to note that his Father's package to his grandmother was as pristine as ever. Even if it was in a different compartment from his gear, he'd expected it to have been squished a little by all the rolling around and what not he'd had to do during the fight but it wasn't. _Probably due to whatever magic is on it._

Stuffing his spoil from the fight with Phoenix next to the package in the only remaining clean compartment in his bag, he slung it back onto his back with a wince as he once again rubbed against his burns.

Steeling himself he began the track down the mountain, where he'd sensed Rhea was last. Thankfully, without Phoenix to sustain it, the forest fire had sputtered out, so it wasn't as hazardous a trek as it could have been. Despite this, he only lasted a little over five minutes before his exhaustion and injuries started to get the better of him. He began to sway unsteadily before finally falling to his knees.

_Damn it! Gotta stay awake. Gotta finish this quest._

Despite his determination however his body was at its limits and despite his best efforts he was losing consciousness. Just as he fell forward though he was caught by a pair of slender hands that helped him into a seating position.

"Here drink this." The person who had caught him said, pushing a bottle to his lips and pouring nectar down his throat.

_Nectar?_

His vision clearing as the healing effect of the nectar took effect, Nico took a look at his savior. She was a beautiful woman with dark curly hair that swept her shoulders, eyes as green as meadows, and the smile that she was offering him was brighter than the sun.

"Lady Rhea?" Nico asked weakly, pushing the bottle of nectar away. "Why are you here?"

"Of course I came! My grandson almost died coming to see me. I would have to be heartless to not come and make sure he was alright." Rhea said earnestly, pushing the bottle back to Nico's lips. "Drink. You need it."

Nico did as he was told.

"I'd heal you, but we're bending too many rules already. And I think you've just seen for yourself what can happen when we do." The Titaness said with a frown.

The demigod was beginning to understand why all the gods he'd met on the quest seemed so concerned with Ophis' excessive help. "Yeah. It's why I couldn't use my geokinesis wasn't it?"

"Yes, something like that." The Titan Queen said evasively while, oddly enough, glaring at the ground.

The look didn't suit her and Nico wanted desperately to take it off her face. Putting aside the bottle, he pulled his backpack forward, noticing the lack of any pain as he did so, and quickly fished out the package from his Father.

"Lady Rhea, here. This is for you." Nico said handing the package over.

The Titaness took the package and raised a questioning brow.

"It's from my Father."

"Ah! That's sweet of Hades." Rhea said as she smiled fondly, examining the package for a moment. When she was done, she turned to Nico once more with a disappointed frown on her face.

"I'm sorry grandson, but you need to leave."

Nico was a little confused by that. As far as he knew, based on the legends and things he'd heard from his Father, his grandmother was supposed to be warm and caring. Why then was she behaving in such an abrupt way.

"I understand, grandmother." Nico said as he stood. "You don't want 'bend the rules' any further and cause me trouble, right?"

Rhea smiled with pride. "You're a smart one, aren't you, dear? You're right of course. If not for that, I'd love to spend some time with you. With the world changing thanks to your sister, I think it's time for me to leave my seclusion as well so perhaps I'll pay you a visit soon."

"You will?"

"Perhaps." The Titaness said with a smile. "I have not decided. But enough of that, finish your nectar and run along."

Nodding, Nico gulped down the last of his nectar before handing the empty bottle to his grandmother and Shadow Traveling away.

"What a good boy." The motherly Titan noted as she watched him leave.

* * *

A few hours later, Nico stumbled out of a shadow portal into Ophis' Ogygia office. He was dead tired. He'd pushed himself to finish the quest quickly after his fight with Phoenix, and had continuously used Shadow Travel without any substantial breaks between his stops to inform his Father of his package's successful delivery, then to Thanatos -who thankfully was still in the Olympic National Park- to hand him the written permission from his Father to extend his vacation for a couple days, and now back to Ophis' side to deliver the spoils of the quest.

It was thus no surprise to him that he tripped on his own two feet almost as soon as he arrived and almost landed face first on the carpeted floor. He didn't though, and he knew he wouldn't have, not with Ophis there. And just as expected his little sister had teleported from behind her desk to his side the moment he'd tripped and caught him.

"Nico!" Ophis chided sounding just a tinge hysterical. "What are you doing here? Why didn't you go take a rest after getting Thanatos' feather? Do you know how dangerous it is to push yourself with the Shadow Traveling?"

Feeling his sister's power flow through him, healing and invigorating him, Nico shrugged and replied. "I wasn't worried. You would have made sure I got home safely."

Ophis crossed her arms and bit her lip as she looked at him. Obviously both happy that he trusted her so much and uneasy that it meant he was taking what she would consider silly risks.

The son of Hades didn't want to let their reunion be marred by a fight over his recklessness so quickly searched the room for something to change the topic. It was a large room, about half a basketball court in size with Ophis' ornate desk made out of a mixture of black and white wood as the centerpiece and with equally monochrome padded straight back chairs as the only other furniture. This spartan decor served to make it usually seem more spacious than it already was, especially when combined with the wall length window behind Ophis' desk that offered a panoramic view of the island's southern coast and the temple city that had been built there.

None of these details served his purposes though, he and Ophis had talked the room's decor to death more than once already. Thankfully, the room's occupants yielded more options. There were more of them there than he'd ever recalled being in the room at any one time. Fidi and Calypso were there of course, but so was Ma Gasket, the Hyperborean Cyclops that Ophis had recruited from the remnants of the Titan's armies after Kronos' defeat to be her Head of Engineering. He honestly didn't know why she'd need someone to fill that role though. Besides these three was someone he didn't recognize at all, a lanky older teenage boy with brown hair, and green eyes with bags underneath them and a freckled face. They were clustered around a set of blueprints draped over Ophis' table and keeping a respectful distance as she greeted him.

"Who's the boy?" Nico asked as he hugged Ophis reassuringly. "Do I need to get out a shovel?"

Ophis pushed Nico away and just tilted her head in an adorable gesture of confusion. "Shovel?"

"Never mind." The son of Hades said with a smile, unsurprised that his sister didn't get the reference. She was quite naive about the ways of the world at times, especially when it came to anything 'adult' related.

Shaking her head, at what she probably thought was him being weird, Ophis introduced the boy. "His name is Alabaster C. Torrington, son of Hecate, and the new captain of my guard."

Standing, Nico raised a challenging eyebrow at Alabaster. Silently he conveyed the threat of what he'd do to the other boy if he hurt or let anyone else hurt his sister. With that done, he returned his attention to Ophis and fished out both Thanatos' feather and the spoil he got from defeating Phoenix.

"Here. Thanatos said you'd want the one from Phoenix too, so I brought it along."

Ophis nodded as she took the two feathers from him before looking at Nico apologetically.

"I'm sorry I made the fight with Phoenix so hard. If I hadn't bent the rules so much, it wouldn't have been. I was just trying to protect you."

The son of Hades gave his sister a comforting hug. "It's ok, Ophis. I know you just meant well. So long as you've learnt your lesson, then everything is fine. Okay?"

"I've learned my lesson. I promise."

Nico smiled and patted her head.

"Nico, why don't you go get some rest." Ophis said after taking a moment to get herself under control. "I still have work to do, I'll catch up with you later?"

"Of course. Don't work yourself too hard, though."

"I won't."

"I'm escort him out." Ma Gasket offered. "I believe I'm done here for now?"

"Yup," Ophis said with a smile towards the Cyclops, completely missing or ignoring the sneer on the monster's face. "Thanks Ma Gasket."

"No problem, My Lady." The Cyclops said as she walked out towards the door.

Nico warily fell in step with her. Not for the first time questioning the wisdom of Ophis' decision to take in this Cyclops and her brood.

* * *

**And one more chapter's done.**

**Now some of you might be wondering why my version of Rhea is so different from her canon version in The Hidden Oracle. Simply put, canon's version of her just doesn't fit the role that I want for her. As such I'm using some creative license to change her up a little. I tried to keep quite a few canon elements as nods, but characterization wise my version is very different. And frankly to me at least, a lot more true to the myths.**

**Anyways, beyond that as usual I hope you all liked the chapter. Tell me if you did in a review.**

**Till next time. Peace.**


	6. Ophis gets a scolding

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Chapter 5: Ophis gets a scolding**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

Ogygia, the phantom island that had been the infamous prison of the nymph sorceress Calypso, had once a beautiful Mediterranean paradise. The only sign of habitation at all had been Calypso's home and her garden. Since Ophis had taken ownership of the island however, things had changed.

The entire southern half of the island had been transformed into a massive city by Ophis' servants, one studded with numerous temples dedicated to her. It of course had all the modern amenities -something Ophis insisted upon- but was largely in the style of an Ancient Greco-Roman city, with a large amphitheater, a hippodrome, baths and rings of sturdy walls. Included in this was Calypso's home and garden which had been massively expanded and upgraded, as befit her new status as the right hand woman of a powerful protogenos- or so said protogenos' fanatical worshippers had said as they had done the upgrading under Calypso's bemused watch.

As for the northern half of the island, its hills had been leveled and the whole area became a single massive construction yard. To the western edge of the zone were factories while the rest was dedicated to a single large project. It was to review the progress of her subjects' industry that Ophis along with Fidi and Calypso had made a trip to the work site.

"As you can see, My Lady, we are making good progress." Ma Gasket, the Hyperborean cyclops that served as her Head of Engineering informed the young protogenos as she led them through a tour of the site.

"So everything is going according to schedule?" Ophis asked as she surveyed the scene around her. Scattered throughout the immediate area were various pieces of rock that were having runes carved onto them by groups of telekhines and the odd dracanae. A handful had already moved onto the next stage and had the runes activated, causing the rocks to float above the ground. To these the crews were adding on armor plates and various pieces of machinery. All under the watchful eye of Hyperborean cyclopes serving as foremen.

"Of course." Gasket said defensively. "My children are keeping everything running perfectly."

Ophis frowned. Why was Gasket reacting as if she'd offended her? She was just asking a question.

"I see. Very good then." Ophis offered placatingly. "I take it everyone is getting along?"

The cyclops snorted at the question, "There's been a few scuffles. Telekhines thinking their engineering skills are better than everyone else's. Dracanae thinking they know your will best. But my boys have handled it."

"No one was hurt, I hope." Ophis asked worriedly. She'd heard nothing about what Gasket was talking about. She should have though.

_What's going on here?_

"No," Gasket said sounding disappointed. "Like you ordered just a little scolding here and there and maybe a little muscle. Nothing to write to you about."

They were walking out of the area dedicated to the floating stones when a scuffle broke out at the other end of the area. It was far beyond the range of mortal hearing. But none of the individuals in the party were human and heard it perfectly well. They all turned to see what was the trouble.

"Hurry up, you incompetents!" A cyclops boomed to his crew of telekhines as they rushed to finish carving the runes on their assigned stone. "We should have finished this hours ago. And we would have if you idiots hadn't taken so long having lunch."

"Hey, we only took the minimum hour for lunch." One of the telekhines stepped away from his task to glare up defiantly at the cyclops.

The cyclops responded by smacking the telekhine to the ground. "And that was one hour too long, you sea dogs. Especially when you have unfinished work!"

"Gasket, explain." Ophis said sternly as she shot her servant a furious look, whilst signaling Fidi to go tend to the telekhine and discipline the out of line cyclops.

Unfazed by Ophis' ire, Gasket gave the scene a dismissive wave. "I don't see a problem. That's how things have always worked between us monsters."

_Is she right? I mean what do I know about things like this?_ Ophis admitted to herself as she turned to look to Calypso for guidance.

The nymph shook her head, and telepathically added. _It may have been the way in the past, in the Titans' army, but we don't have to follow that._

Ophis nodded decisively. She wanted to set herself and how she ran things as far apart from her hated father as possible. If for no other reason than to spite him. Allowing this kind of thing, would be a step in the wrong direction.

"Well things are gonna be different from now onwards, you clear? No more mistreatment, of anyone, in my service. Understood?"

Ma Gasket gave a reluctant nod and quickly turned away, walking off towards a large chunk of stone over which swarms of telekhines and dracanae were hard at work.

"Let's just continue the tour." The cyclops said in a unhappy voice.

Ophis frowned, not particularly satisfied with Gasket's reaction, but nevertheless nodded and followed after the cyclops.

They had barely made it a few steps though before they were interrupted.

"Hyperborean Cyclopes? Really now Ophis, is this the kind of scum you're employing?" A woman with a mature but stately face, a kind smile, and flashing gold eyes like those of a feline predator said chidingly in greeting as she walked up with a harassed looking Alabaster as escort. The woman was dressed in a gown that swirled with red, black, and gold floral designs, and her long dark hair was crowned with a tiara that looked like a curved miniature ladder made out of two gold rails lined with rungs of silver.

Ophis' power helpfully informed her that the woman was Rhea, the Titan Queen and her stepmother.

_What is she doing here?_

"I'm sorry, My Lady." Alabaster said apologetically before shooting the Titaness an annoyed look. "But the Lady Rhea showed up at the reception area of your offices unexpectedly and demanded to see you. She refused to leave until she did so."

The Great Serpent nodded and sent her guard captain an understanding nod. She knew full well how difficult it was to deal with demanding divinities. While she had limited experience with it herself, most immortals were too scared of her to demand _anything_ from her, her friends complained enough about it to give her an idea.

"What is it you want, Rhea? Besides, critiquing my choice of servants?" Ophis said coldly as she turned her attention to her stepmother. The Titaness had been exceedingly rude so far, there was no reason for her to not return the favor.

Rhea's eyes narrowed at Ophis' tone but didn't raise to the bait, "I'm here to talk. Do you have time for that?"

Ophis turned to Calypso, "I'll reschedule the tour."

That wasn't what she'd been expecting but Ophis was smart enough to get the hint.

"Fine," Ophis said just a touch petulantly. "Let's hand over to my suite. We can talk over some tea."

With that Ophis teleported away, Rhea following suit.

"Giving in so easily? Pathetic." Gasket muttered to herself as she stomped away, ignoring the glares sent her way by both Calypso and Alabaster.

* * *

A few minutes later found the two immortals glaring at each other across the dining table of Ophis' Waldorf Astoria suite upon which sat the tea and snacks that were were supposed to be enjoying. Not that either of them were in the mood for such things.

"So what do you have to say for yourself?" Rhea said finally.

"About what?" Ophis asked questioningly as she picked up her teacup and sipped on it daintily. She might not be quite in the mood for it, but she was not about to let her servants' hard work go to waste. "You'd have to be more specific."

"I'm talking about you putting Nico, _my grandson_ , in greater danger than he should have been by trying to be overprotective by gaming the system while he was on a quest that _you_ sent him on." Rhea clarified, her eyes narrowed even further in displeasure.

Ophis froze. She didn't know how to respond to that. Mainly because she knew she was wrong for doing exactly as Rhea had said. But at the same time she wasn't willing to admit that. Not to Rhea, who was both her hated father's _wife_ , but also _weaker than her_. She didn't want to show weakness to her. Her pride wouldn't allow it.

In the end though, her guilt over what she'd done outweighed her pride.

"I've learnt my lesson from that." Ophis said simply, using the motion of putting down her teacup to avert her eyes from Rhea's.

"Yes, one lesson out of many." The Titaness said as she leaned forward, her superior height allowing her to loom over Ophis' child-like form. "Will every lesson you learn hurt my family as well?"

"Nico's my family too!" Ophis shouted, standing up to glare at the Titaness. "He's my brother!"

"If that's how you treat family-"

"Don't you dare!" Ophis shouted warningly, her aura springing to life around her as it reacted to her fury. "Don't you dare say that I'd willingly put my family and friends, especially Nico, in danger. What right do you have to say that about me!?"

Unfazed by Ophis' display of power, Rhea continued to stare her down. "Save the light show, Ophis. You might be able to kill me in a single move but that doesn't mean that you are in the right. And you ask me what right I have to critique you? I'm his _grandmother_! Just like I'm Jason's grandmother and Percy's too. All children that _you_ have or will put in danger with your quests."

_I know she's right. I hurt Nico and if I don't learn fast, I'll hurt other people I care about too!_ Ophis reluctantly admitted to herself. _But I already know that. I didn't need her to come and tell me all that! And definitely not while being such a rude meanie!_

For a long moment, the two immortals stood in a standoff. Ophis glaring at Rhea with her power on display while the Titaness looked back with equal anger but with a sense of cool disregard at the younger immortal's actions.

The tableau however was broken when Calypso suddenly teleported in. Not that Ophis and Rhea paid her any mind initially.

The nymph gulped at the scene, but quickly regained her composure. "My Lady, a group of our dracaenae and telekhines out gathering material for "The Project" are under attack."

At hearing that, Ophis allowed her aura to calm down and turned to Calypso. Seeing that she had her liege's full attention, the nymph continued with her report.

"As per your orders, I came to inform you at once."

"Reinforcements?"

"Are already en route," Calypso replied. "Alabaster is leading a full company of our warriors to assist."

Ophis nodded, before turning to glare at Rhea once more.

"It appears I have something more important to do than listen to you." Ophis said venomously to the Titaness before teleporting away.

* * *

Seeing her mistress' departing in a foul mood, Calypso leveled a reproving look at their guest.

"Lady Rhea," the daughter of Atlas began chidingly. "Did you need to be so harsh on Lady Ophis? She's still so young."

Rhea waved the concern away. "Age, as you know, is hardly the best indicator of maturity amongst us immortals."

That was true. Immortals could conceivably be born as fully mature adults after all. However, this was clearly not the case with her Lady.

"I did not mean her age in years."

"I know." Rhea admitted. "She's still a child in not just years but in mind as well. But yet she's assuming adult responsibilities and yields immense power. She needs to do better."

Calypso could not dispute that. Despite her childish state of mind, Ophis had built up an impressive organization, mustered a large army and possessed great personal power both literally and figuratively.

"She's learning." Calypso defended.

"Agreed." Rhea said with a nod as she began sampling the snacks led out earlier. "And you have done a brilliant job Calypso in helping her do so, alongside her other attendants. I believe you were the one that helped her repair her relations with Artemis and Apollo?" Calypso nodded, even if all she'd done was help her mistress cut through some red tape and arrange a meeting. "But she needs someone to harshly remind her of her shortcomings. The lot of you pamper her too much."

The sorceress blushed a little at that. She wouldn't deny it though. Everyone who worked for or were close to her tended to spoil her. It was difficult not to when she was so adorable most of the time.

Though there was something that confused the nymph. "Playing the bad cop, Lady Rhea? That's uncharacteristic of you."

"Perhaps." The Titaness said with a shrug, before she adopted a angry look. "Part of this is spite, I'll admit. She is my husband's, hated though he is, bastard. And her recklessness has and will be the cause of much pain to my family." The look of anger faded, and was replaced with one of resignation. "But mainly I do this because it's necessary. A mother needs be harsh at times."

Calypso nodded in understanding. "Thank you for assisting my lady in such a way."

"She _is_ my step daughter after all." The Titaness said as if that explained everything, which considering who she was, it did.

* * *

**And another short chapter/interlude is done.**

**As I said in the last chapter, my version of Rhea is slightly different from canon so bear with me on this front. I usually try to use canon characterization as far as possible, but in this case I just couldn't.**

**So Rhea is going to be basically a mother figure to Ophis, huh? Well, not really. At least I probably wouldn't have much chance to show it, I think. It's not in my plans anyways. We'll see how it goes.**

**Tell me in a review if you have ideas on how to incorporate Rhea more.**

**Until next time.**

**Peace.**


	7. Percy does a favor

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Chapter 6: Percy does a favor**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

Percy was walking back to his cabin in Camp Half-Blood after a hard day's training. Ever since the conclusion of the Titanomachy, things had been going great for the Hero of Olympus. He'd gotten together with his awesome girlfriend Annabeth Chase, and they didn't have to worry about any world ending threats. At least for the moment. Percy still remembered the Fates telling him about the next Great Prophecy when he'd met them at the conclusion of the war and he couldn't completely shake the uneasy feeling that something terrible was coming. A worry not helped by the recent complete loss of contact with the gods.

Nevertheless, for now at least, he could focus on the more mundane stuff. Like feeling put out that he couldn't train with Annabeth at all today. They'd planned for it, and even thought they'd find time in between for some alone time, but she unexpectedly found herself busy helping out one of her sisters with an emergency. From the amused, and embarrassed, demeanor that her brother Malcolm had when he'd passed on the message, Percy could tell that it was some girl stuff. Something that the son of Poseidon knew better than to have anything to do with.

Besides Annabeth was Head Counselor of Athena Cabin. It was her job to take care of her siblings, so Percy understood. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't that big of a deal as a whole. After all, he had a whole Winter Break to spend time with Annabeth, he could afford to spend _some_ time away from her.

A few feet from his cabin, Percy froze as he processed that thought. _Please don't let that jinx me._

"Percy!"

Spinning around to see who was calling him, the son of the seas was just in time to have himself be bowled over by what must have been ten pounds of snake slamming into him at an ungodly speed. Normally, the halfblood's reaction to being in such a situation would be to draw Riptide and cut the offending snake into ribbons. Unfortunately, Percy recognized the flower like markings on the snake and knew just how suicidal that idea was.

"Hello, Lily." The son of Poseidon said breathlessly from his position lying on the ground.

"Hi Percy!" The snake hissed back happily while still sitting on his chest, before turning to face away from him.

"Look Mommy! I found him! I found Percy!"

This was met by a burst of childish giggles, before Ophis -who else could it be- replied. "I can see that sweetpea. Now why don't you get off him, so he can get back up?"

"Oh!" The fourteen foot snake said apologetically as she did as she was told. "Sorry Percy."

"It's okay." The son of Poseidon said with a dismissive wave as he got to his feet. He was just a little bruised up from the sudden tackle, he didn't think there was anything broken, so there was no harm done. No reason to upset Lily and by extension Ophis.

Still smiling in amusement at her daughter's antics, Ophis snapped her fingers and the aches and pains from the fall disappeared entirely.

"Thanks, Ophis." The son of Poseidon said as he looked up from brushing himself off to take a look at his visitors. Ophis looked the same as always: a seven year old girl in a fancy gothic style dress with Lily coiled all around her. Looking like that it was hard to imagine her as anything other than a normal little girl. Albeit, one with exotic taste in clothes and pets. Next to her was her servant Fidi Douli looking as serious as she always seemed to be in her dapper pants suit, looking like Ophis' nanny.

Looks were deceiving though, and that couldn't be more true in this case.

"No problem at all, Percy." The little girl said with a genuine smile. "By the way, are you free? I'd like to talk to you."

Fidi shot him a glare that made it clear that having a chat with her mistress was non-negotiable. Not that Percy needed the hint, he was smart enough to realize that when a deity -even one who was your friend- asked a demigod to do something it was essentially an order.

"Sure. Why don't we head into my cabin and talk?"

"That sounds wonderful."

Without further ado, the group followed Percy's lead into his cabin. It was a low structure, long and solid, with all the windows facing the sea. Its outer walls were rough gray stone with pieces of seashell and coral that looked like the seafloor. On the inside it had six empty bunk beds and the walls glowed like abalone.

"Wow! It's pretty."

Percy had to agree. In his totally unbiased opinion, his cabin was the best in Camp.

"Thanks Lily."

"But not as pretty as Mommy's palace."

The son of Poseidon wilted a little at that, something that had Ophis giggling at his expense.

"Right. So Ophis, have a… err... seat." Percy rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment as he realized he had nowhere for his guests to sit down.

The Great Serpent didn't seemed to mind though, as she sat down without prompting on one of the bunk beds. Though Fidi shot him an annoyed look and remained standing by Ophis' side.

Hoping that he wouldn't embarrass himself further, Percy decided to press ahead. "So what's up?"

"The ceiling?" Lily replied in childish confusion while looking up at the cabin roof.

Ophis giggled at her child's reaction and stroking her scales tenderly explained. "It's just a saying Lily. Percy's asking me what I want to talk to him about."

"Oh!" The snake said with a blush. The son of Poseidon was pretty sure normal snakes couldn't blush but then again they couldn't talk either.

"My Lady is here to ask you for a favor, son of Poseidon." Fidi explained, at a gesture from Ophis who was preoccupied at the moment with settling her daughter.

"You mean a quest?"

"You could call it that," Ophis said as she returned to the conversation. "But I'd like to think of it as a favor."

"Can't Nico do it?"

After all, Ophis had claimed the son of Hades as her Big Brother. It made loads more sense for her to ask him to do this quest than to have Percy do it.

The little girl just shook her head. "It has to be you."

"Why?"

A conflicted look crossed Ophis' face and she looked ready to say something, explain herself maybe, but then thought better of it.

Finally, after taking a breath she simply said, "I have my reasons."

Ophis' demeanour sent alarm bells ringing in Percy's head and he hesitated. There were too many questionable things here and his danger sense, honed after years of dangerous adventures, was screaming at him. He squashed it though, this was Ophis. She was too sweet to send him on anything too dangerous.

Right?

"Fine, I'll do it."

"Really?" Ophis replied sounding surprised and relieved. "Thank you."

"You're a friend. Doing you a favor is the least I could do."

The protogenos offered him a brilliant smile at that. The moment however was broken by a hissed whine.

"Mommy, I'm bored. You're all talking too much."

"Are we? Sorry Lily." Ophis cooed, while smiling in amusement at her child's antics. "Sorry Percy, but I better go before Lily throws a tantrum. Fidi will explain the details for me, alright?"

Without waiting for a reply, Ophis and Lily disappeared.

In the wake of their departure, Percy was left in his cabin alone with Fidi. The nymph was looking at him disapprovingly, as if he didn't live up to her standards for someone undertaking her mistress' quest or something. The son of Poseidon shrugged it off, he'd faced the open hatred and murderous intent from gods and Titans. A glare from a nymph, even one as influential and probably powerful as Fidi, wasn't anywhere near the top ten worst looks he'd been subjected to.

Apparently deciding that her glare was getting her nowhere, Fidi began doing her job. "My Lady wants you to bring her some of the winds of Aeolus, a small bit of his essence."

She summoned a thermos. "This cup will allow you to suck in what you need if opened near the Master of the Winds. I believe you've encountered something similar to this before."

Percy nodded.

"It's like the one that Hermes gave me when I went into the Sea of Monsters."

Even as the words left his mouth, the son of Poseidon felt his mood darken, as he was reminded of how Hermes had given him that thermos all those years ago in a failed bid to save Luke. A failure that led to so much tragedy.

Fidi either didn't notice or care about what he was feeling though, instead conjuring a backpack.

"This is filled with all the provisions you'll need." The nymph informed him before handing it to him. "Now get going."

"Now?" Percy asked in confusion. "What's the rush? Shouldn't I at least tell Chiron about this quest first?"

The nymph just shot him a smirk. "You're about to find out."

"Wha-" The halfblood was unable to finish his sentence as he suddenly felt a tugging feeling in his navel and his vision blurred.

* * *

When Percy regained his senses he found himself looking up at the open sky.

"Where am I?" The son of Poseidon asked himself as he pushed himself into a sitting position and took in his surroundings. He was in the middle of a grassland that he didn't recognise. The only things familiar were the pack and thermos that were beside him in the grass.

There was a note taped onto the pack and Percy ripped it off to read it.

_Sorry for dumping you out there like this, Percy. Fidi could have been less abrupt about it but we're kinda in a big rush so please forgive us. Pretty please!_

_Anyways we teleported you where you are to make his trip easier. Aeolia, Aeolus' floating island, is nearby. You'll just need to figure out a way to fly to it. I'm sure you can do it!_

_Good luck!_

_Ophis ❤_

Percy sighed.

_Looks like Ophis is picking up the gods' bad manners when it comes to demigods._

"Maybe I should tell Nico to ask her not to spend so much time with them? Maybe that'll help? I wonder if she's like this to him?"

Percy shook his head at that. Ophis absolutely adored Nico, there was no way she'd treat him like this. If she ever did send her brother on a quest she'd probably stack the deck to make sure things were easy for him.

"I can worry about that later." Percy concluded as he instead turned his attention towards checking his gear. He had Riptide of course, he never left home without it it and the thermos. The pack came with a full set of useful goodies too. There were a couple changes of clothes, a handful of drachma, a bag of ambrosia and a small flask of nectar, a canteen of water and even wafer cookies for when he needed a snack.

"Right." The son of Poseidon said as he slung the backpack over his shoulders. "Time-"

He was interrupted however as a fireball crashed to the ground right next to him. Instinctively dropping to the ground and rolling away from the explosion, Percy smothered the flames that were licking at his clothes. Jumping to his feet, and idly noticing that he'd lost the pack at some point, he turned to see what had attacked him.

He was met with the annoying sight of a dozen Laistrygonian Giants rushing towards him. Half of the heavily tattooed eight-foot-tall giants were armed with iron clubs while the remaining six were busy flinging flaming balls of celestial bronze at him.

"Not flaming dodgeball again!" Percy groaned even as he counter charged the monsters.

Using his smaller size and clearly superior training, he danced around the wild swings of the giants' clubs. He might have been invincible due to the Curse of Achilles but the blunt force of being hit by one of those clubs would send him flying and that would just make this fight drag on longer than it needed to. When he got too close for the ball throwing cannibals to toss their payload without hitting their comrades they changed tactics and started trying to smash him with them instead.

Neither this changed tactic or the clubs the other giants wielded saved them. The moment Percy got within their midst, he transformed into a whirling harbinger of death. Even as they desperately swung their weapons to hit him, the son of Poseidon easily evaded their attacks whilst simultaneously cutting them to pieces. In a matter of minutes, the giants were reduced to nothing more than piles of gold dust.

Percy was just breathing a sigh of relief that the distraction was dealt with when his instinct began screaming at him.

Frantically jumping to the side, he barely avoided getting hit by what looked like a meteor crashing to earth where he'd been standing just a minute ago.

"Wow!" Percy said in awe as he eyed the plume of dust that the impact had thrown up. _Does the Curse protect me from being flattened by a falling star?_

As the dust cloud finally settled, it revealed a bear with a pattern of stars shimmering across its fur stretching itself at the bottom of the crater.

"What now?"

"Now, young hero? Now you face Kallisto, though you may know me better as Ursa Major!" The bear roared as it charged out of the crater, right at Percy.

Confident in his skill and the power of his Curse, Percy met the challenge unflinchingly.

The bear tried to bowl him over, but Percy danced to the side and struck out at its side with Riptide. It nicked Kallisto's side, but the monster barely noticed, instead it dug its claws into the ground and used that to pull off a tight turn to face Percy. Rearing up on her hind legs the bear tried to body slam him, but Percy narrowly avoided being pinned by rolling to the side.

_It's not trying to claw me, but is trying to crush me instead?_ Percy analyzed even as he jumped away from another attempt by the bear to knock him over by rushing him. _Does it know how to work around the Curse?_

Suddenly, the shimmering of the bear's fur intensified and it shot forward in a burst of speed that made it look like a shooting star. She was moving too fast for Percy to properly track, much less avoid, and he was slammed to the ground. Disoriented by the impact, the son of the seas barely noticed as the still shining bear lifted him of the ground in a crushing bear hug. By the time he recovered his wits enough to resist, she had him firmly in her tightening grasp. He struggled nonetheless but even with the enhanced strength granted to him by the Curse, he was no much for Kallisto. Desperate, he tried reaching out to the water around him but found there wasn't any ready source nearby.

"Comfortable, son of Poseidon?" The monster taunted. "Want a bedtime story?"

"Go to Tartarus." Percy breathlessly retorted.

Ignoring him besides giving him a cruel ursine smirk that revealed far too many razor sharp teeth, Kallisto started her story. "Did you know that I once was a Hunter of Artemis? Well, I was. But one day, Zeus decided he wanted to have me and so he disguised himself so as to look like Artemis, and while I was separated from the group seduced me in that form. I accepted his advances, of course. I thought he was Artemis and I was in love with her, like half the Hunters are."

Percy gasped in surprise at this, and Kallisto used the opening to tighten her "hug of doom" even further but did not break stride in her retelling of her tale.

"I become pregnant, but as Artemis seemed to not want to bring it up I thought she was keeping it secret for some reason. I know I was an idiot, right? But what else could I have thought? That she wasn't my lover who I was intimate and begotten a child with. That I had betrayed my goddess, the love of my life? Of course, I chose to accept the silly lie I told myself. So I tried to keep it from showing."

If Percy wasn't busy struggling for every breath, he would have called her an idiot. She should have just talked to Artemis about things right away. At least then she'd have known that something was wrong. If she was lucky, Artemis might even choose to help her out somehow.

"I couldn't keep it secret forever though and eventually Artemis and the other Hunters discovered my condition. The goddess was predictably furious. She turned me into a bear and told me to run, for she and the other Hunters would hunt me down if they came across me again. I ran, for all the good it did me. They are called the _Hunters_ for a reason and I stood no chance. It took them a few years but they caught up to me and killed me. And you know what kind of consolation I got for enduring all that? Zeus turned me into a constellation!"

Kallisto degenerated into a bout of guttural snarls and angry roars for a moment before she calmed and looking directly into Percy's eyes made an ominous declaration.

"But now thanks to my new mistress, I'll finally be able get revenge on Zeus, Artemis and the Hunters."

The son of the seas wasn't paying attention to what she was saying, he was too busy stretching his hydrokinesis to its limits.

_Just a little more!_

Darks spots were appearing in his vision, and he was on the verge of passing out when his efforts paid off. Suddenly, below where Kallisto was hugging him to death, a geyser of water exploded out of the earth. The power of the water jet sent the bear stumbling back, in the process forcing her to release the demigod who took in greedy breaths even as the water did its magic and rejuvenated him.

The geyser didn't last long though, and within a few moments it had died down as the limited groundwater in this place that Percy had drawn together to create it ran out. It wasn't a problem though, it had served its purpose.

"You're going down." The demigod said confidently as he charged the bear.

Kallisto for her part, recovered from the shock of being hit by a geyser quickly and was ready for Percy. As he closed, she attempted to swipe at him with her right claw. Percy though spun around and cut open a deep cut along her back with Riptide. She roared in fury, and spun around to swing at him again. Unfortunately for her, Percy used his hydrokinesis to manipulate the water that had flooded the area in just the right way so as to cause her to slip. As a result, she was sent sprawling to the ground. Without wasting a moment, Percy exploited the opening and stabbed Riptide right through her skull.

Even as her body collapsed into gold dust, Kallisto impossibly shouted her defiance. "This isn't the end! I'll be back! My mistress promised!"

"Yeah, and I'll be waiting to send you screaming back to Tartarus when you do." Percy shot back to the pile of gold dust that his foe had become.

* * *

Having dealt with the immediate dangers, hopefully at least, Percy made a quick check of his gear. The backpack had taken a direct hit from the opening flaming dodgeball and so it and most of the gear inside were toast. The drachma were the only things that had survived mostly intact but had been scattered all over the place and Percy only managed to find a couple of the coins. Everything else was a write off.

At least the thermos for the wind was still okay. The thing even shrunk down to the size of a lipstick tube so it could fit in his jeans' pockets when he picked it up. It looked like Ophis made good stuff.

"So most of my gear is gone. _And_ I still need to find a way to fly up to this Aeolia place. Wherever that is." Percy lamented as he looked at the emptiness of the arid grassland all around him.

"Ophis, dad, anyone who can hear me, a little help. Please."

The son of the seas waited a few minutes to see if anyone would answer his prayers but when nothing happened he sighed in resignation and decided it was best to get going.

He had no idea where he was supposed to go so just chose a random direction and started walking. If Ophis wanted him to finish this quest then it'll be up to her to make sure, somehow, that he was going the right way.

He had been walking for fifteen minutes, before there was the slightest hint of something changing.

This change took the form of a Goldfinch landing in front of him and talking to him.

"Yo! You Percy Jackson?"

"Err… That's me." A little surprised by this development. He was pretty sure there wasn't a god that had goldfinches as a scared animal, so it couldn't be one of them.

"Good. I've been looking for ya."

"Why?"

"The name's Terry." The bird introduced himself with a bob of its head which might have been a bow. "And I've been asked by the Little Miss to guide you to Aeolia."

There was only one person who properly fit the title of Little Miss that Percy could think of and was involved with this situation.

"Ophis sent you?"

Terry bobbed his avian head in a nod.

"If that's the case, any chance you could fly me to this Aeolia place?" Percy asked hopefully.

"Sorry, bud. No can do. You're a little too big for me to carry." The bird said gesturing to his tiny body with his beak. "I do know something that might help though."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"There's a herd of pegasi-"

"Pegasi?" Percy repeated even as he palmed his face. "Doh! I could have just called Blackjack couldn't I?"

"NO!" The bird shouted, his whole plumage puffing up in his agitation. "That would be against the rules."

"Rules? What rules?" Percy inquired, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"The rules about what the quester can and cannot do when getting the ingredient." The bird replied distractedly, as it recovered from its earlier outburst.

"Ingredient?"

"Shite! I've said too much! Forget what I just said okay?" Terry pleaded looking all around fearfully.

Percy didn't get what was going on but whatever it was he didn't want to make Terry's life difficult. He was his only clue on how to proceed with this quest and the halfblood didn't want to risk running him off.

"O-kay..."

"So the herd is this way." Terry said after a moment of calming down as he pointed to Percy's left.

"Lead on, McDuff."

They walked in the direction Terry pointed out in silence for a bit, before Percy's curiosity started to get the better of him. It was prudent after all to learn as much about a quest as possible and with all the little oddities so far, Percy really wanted a better idea of what was going on.

"So Terry, mind explaining a few things?"

"Sure." The goldfinch said from where he'd perched on Percy's shoulder. "I'll answer what I can."

"Great. So first question, where are we?"

"Somewhere in Texas."

"Where exactly in Texas?"

Terry just shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"I guess not." Percy admitted, he knew very little about Texas so asking for details wouldn't help him any, "Okay, second question then. Ophis sent you because of my prayer?"

"Actually, it's thanks to your dad. He asked her to send me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, she wasn't originally going to help more." Percy frowned at that, so Terry jumped to Ophis' defense. "It's not like that. She was worried that if she helped you too much, the trails you'll end up facing would become too dangerous. That's how quests work, you know? They are supposed to scale in challenge to match the abilities of the questers and the help they get along the way. The Fates are especially strict about enforcing this rule."

"I didn't know that."

It made sense though, and he wondered why no one told him about it. Surely Chiron knew.

"Yeah, you demigods aren't supposed to know. It's not difficult to figure out though, so it's kinda a open secret."

"You won't get in trouble for telling me?" Percy asked worriedly.

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"You're a special case."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Terry just shook his head and refused to answer.

"Fine, back to my earlier question then. So you're here because my dad got Ophis to send you?"

"Yup." Terry said with a nod. "Let me tell you, the whole thing was pretty impressive. Your dad stormed into, literally he came in the form of a storm, where the Little Miss was watching you and demanded that she send you some help."

_Thanks dad!_

"You've got a wonderful dad, you know that?"

"Yup." Percy replied earnestly. His dad was the greatest.

"So you work for Ophis?" Terry nodded. "How does that work? Are you like Lily?"

Terry broke out into chirps at that, what Percy realized was his equivalent of laughter. "Me be like the Baby Miss? Dream on. I'm not _that_ lucky."

"Ok. Then what are you? I've never heard of talking goldfinches before."

"Yeah well, I was a mortal. Once."

"What happened?" The halfblood asked even as he dreaded hearing the answer, he had a pretty good idea where this was going.

"Well, one day I was out in the woods bird-watching when I stumbled across the Hunters. I'm clear sighted you see, so the Mist they used to keep hidden didn't work on me. I didn't even notice it was there, so to me one minute I'm minding my own business enjoying the great outdoors and the next I came upon a group of beautiful girls as they are bathing in a stream."

Percy winced.

"Yup. As you can expect it went badly. As 'punishment', Lady Artemis cursed me to become a goldfinch."

_That's unjust Olympian justice, for you._

"It frankly wasn't that bad. I mean at least I wasn't turned into a deer or something that they then hunted down and ate over the campfire."

"How did you end up going from that to working for Ophis?"

"Well, a couple of months back the Little Miss started recruiting people. She has a big heart, so she's taken in plenty of people like me that got the short end of the stick when it came to dealing with the gods."

"That's good news." Percy said with a relieved smile. "At least there's someone who is finally doing right by people like you."

"Couldn't agree more, brother," Terry said bobbing his head in emphatic agreement. He suddenly stilled mid bob though and turned to glare warily at a low hill ahead of them.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked quietly as he tensed, ready for a fight.

"The herd should be just over that hill." Terry said as he began to shift uneasily. "But something's not right."

"A monster?"

"Dunno. But it's definitely some kinda trap."

_Oh joy!_

* * *

Percy (with Terry still hitching a ride on his shoulder) crept up the hill cautiously, wary for whatever trap was waiting for him on the other side. Despite that, he was still unprepared for the sight that greeted him when he got to the top of the mound of earth and spotted the herd of Pegasi. The whole herd, stallions, mares even foals, dozens of them were collapsed on their sides scrapping at the ground helplessly, their bodies looking so abnormally thin that he could see their ribs.

Alarmed, he threw caution to the wind, and rushed down to check on the winged horses.

"What did this?" Percy angrily demanded as he fell to his knees next to the stricken form of a young foal. Terry meanwhile was flying between the various members of the herd, checking on them as best as he was able while chirping in agitation.

"I did."

Spinning around to face the source of the voice, Percy was met with a gaunt man dressed in an ill-fitting suit.

"Greetings, son of Poseidon." The man greeted with a mocking bow. "I am Limos, he god of hunger and famine."

"Why are you doing this?" Percy hissed angrily, even as he drew Riptide. He knew he shouldn't anger a god, even a minor one, but right now he was too angry about what this jerk was doing to the pegasi to care.

"Why? Because Pegasus offended me." The god replied, unperturbed by Percy's aggression.

"What could Pegasus have done that you'd do _this_ ," Percy swept his hand over the dying herd angrily. "To his children?"

Limos just smiled, a terrible thing that exposed his yellowed teeth and made his already skeletal appearance even more skull like. "Pegasus owes me a thousand drachma."

"You're killing innocents for _money_!"

The god just shrugged. "It is an unpleasant necessity unfortunately, Pegasus is a notoriously secretive and isolationist god. Hurting his children is the only way to get him to show his face."

"That doesn't give you the right-"

"Right?" Limos said with a laugh, nothing more than a hacking cough. "I am a _god_. I have the right to do anything I want to you mere mortals."

Percy lost his cool at that and charged the god. Despite his skill and the enhancements granted to him by the Curse of Achilles, the god still sidestepped his swing in a lazy manner.

"You'll have to do better than that, mortal." Limos taunted as he floated out of the way of a powerful sword thrust. Percy was not disheartened though and continued to do his best to cut the god down to size.

"Keep going." The god mocked as he clapped his hands together in faux encouragement. "If you keep that up, you might just hit me sometime this century."

Percy swung at him clumsily. "Oh! Slowing down, are we?"

_Damn it, he's right._ Percy noted even as he continued to futilely press the attack. He was only hitting empty air and all the while he could sense Limos' power taking its toll on him. He could feel the hunger gnawing at him from within, slowly but surely sapping his strength and making him more sluggish with each passing moment.

_Gotta switch tactics. But what can I do?_

"Don't fight it, dear boy," the god said triumphantly, his eyes bright with malicious delight at the suffering he had caused. "You can't win. Just give in to the inevitable and-"

"Now!" Terry's shouted from where he was perched on the back of a sickly pegasus lying directly behind the god. A pegasus that at his command, lashed out at the deity with a vicious kick.

There wasn't much power in the kick, but it caught the god by surprise and so managed to send him stumbling. Percy wasn't going to let the opportunity go and mustering all the strength he had he closed the short distance with the god and stabbed him with Riptide.

Weakened by this burst of strength, Percy lost his grip on his sword and fell to his knees. Limos meanwhile clutched at the wound to his chest, with Riptide still sticking out and golden divine ichor flowing out of it. He eyed the injury disbelievingly for a long moment, before as if his brain had finally finished catching up to what had happened, he let loose a literally earthshaking scream.

Too drained to maintain his balance, the minor earthquake the god's cry caused sent Percy crashing to the ground. However, even as his body touched the earth, he felt his strength return to him. Pushing himself up, he found Limos gone. The only sign that he had ever been there were the traces of ichor on the ground and along Riptide's blade. Even the pegasus seemed to be recovering from the vile god's power. Their bodies visibly filling up, muscle and fat drained by the unnatural hunger he'd wrought returning and with them the strength that he'd taken from the winged horses. One by one, the pegasi were getting to their feet.

_Our thanks, my lord._ A proud white stallion, the herd's leader probably, said as he trotted over. _You've saved us._

"I was just doing the right thing." Percy said with a shrug. "Besides, it was Terry and whoever kicked that asshole that you should thank. I mean, that guy was owning me. If not for that assist, I'd be a goner."

_It was me! I kicked that god._ A young calico stallion said boastfully, only to be hushed by the rest of the herd.

Ignoring the outburst, the herd's leader turned to address Terry who had retaken his perch on Percy's shoulder. _Thank you as well, changeling._

"Just doing my job."

_Perhaps, but you have our thanks regardless. Both of you._ The stallion said with a respectful bow that all the members of his herd duplicated. _If there is anything that I could do for either of you._

Terry pecked at Percy's neck meaningfully at that. Not that Percy needed the hint, he wasn't stupid.

"Actually, there is. Anyone willing to give me a ride to Alo-"

"Aeolia" Terry corrected.

"Right, that place."

The stallion turned to his herd and they all seemed to confer for a moment through a series of rapid eye blinks and swishes of their tails. Before finally a chestnut colored mare stepped forward.

_I, Cocoa, will gladly serve as your mount, My Lord._

"Thanks Cocoa." Percy said, before Terry cut in,

"Sorry to interpret and all , but Aeolia will move on soon. So we really do need to-"

_We understand,_ the lead stallion said with a respectful nod. _Please do not mind us,_

With that permission to leave, Percy (and Terry) quickly mounted Cocoa and turning back to herd he shouted his goodbyes even as he urged the mare into the air.

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to bring Cocoa back soon."

_I hope._ Percy added privately. This quest just kept getting more and more dangerous. First Kallisto and then Limos, both enemies with workarounds to the invincibility of the Curse? Whatever he faced next would likely be even worse. With that in mind, he wasn't confident of keeping his promise to the herd, in fact he was even starting to get a little worried about his own survival. He didn't let it show though, he was Percy Jackson, Hero of Olympus and he wasn't about to let a little danger scare him off.

* * *

Following directions from Terry, it didn't take long for Cocoa to fly them up to a nearby mountain and the island floating next to it. It seemed impossible for Percy to have missed the huge chunk of rock floating in the sky before now, but he guessed it must have been hidden by the Mist somehow.

Aeolia was made of glowing purple stone, and was as wide as a football stadium. It had rugged cliffs on the side that were riddled with caves and holes. It was connected to land by a narrow bridge of ice that was anchored onto the peak of the mountain it was hovering next to.

"That bridge's the only way onto the island." Terry informed Percy as Cocoa spiraled in to land on the mountain top. "Try getting in any other way and the winds will tear you to shreds."

"That's some pretty impressive security." Percy noted with a gulp. While the Curse might keep him from getting torn to pieces, he didn't relish the idea of falling out of the sky after the wind got through with his mount.

"Yup. It's one of the best."

Even Cocoa nodded at Terry's assessment.

"Welcome, Percy Jackson and company." A voice said from next to the base of the bridge. Its source was a cloud of fog that coalesced into the shape of a petite woman with slightly pointy ears dressed in a pantsuit and clutching a tablet computer. Even though there was no wind, her dark hair blew in slow motion, shampoo-commercial style. "You'd like an audience with Lord Aeolus, correct?"

"Err… Yes."

"Good. Follow me, please." The woman said as she proceeded to walk up the bridge.

Percy turned to Terry who nodded, so he dismounted Cocoa and all three of them followed after her.

"Err… Miss? Can I ask what you are?"

"Oh? You've not met an Aura before, Mr. Jackson?"

"Not till today." Percy admitted.

"Ah! Well, I'm a wind nymph."

"Which is why you're working for the Master of the Winds."

"Pretty much."

By this point, they had finished crossing the bridge and reached the island which was comprised of four large gardens, representing the four seasons and if Percy was right, the four wind gods. At its center was a white-columned rotunda, Greek style, like one of the monuments in Washington, D.C.—except for the cluster of satellite dishes and radio towers on the roof.

It was towards this citadel that the nymph guided the group. It was a long walk, along corridors that were filled by paper airplanes of all different sizes and shapes that sped around, and other wind nymphs, aurai, that would occasionally pluck them out of the air, unfold and read them, then toss them back into the air, where the planes would refold themselves and keep flying. It was interesting, but Percy had seen plenty of such things and was not overly impressed.

Finally, after a short walk, and going through a set of door that looked like an airlock, the group was granted an audience with the ruler of the island. They found him waiting in a massive chamber with an enormous circular pit that plunged into the heart of the island instead of a floor. The pit was honeycombed with caves, some of which were tunnels that probably led straight outside. The whole cavern bustled with harpies, aurai, and paper airplanes. Television equipment floated randomly through the air—cameras, spotlights, set pieces, potted plants. At the center of the chamber, Aeolus hovered in the air. As they approached, he floated over to the lip of the pit to greet them.

Aeolus took the form of a fifteen foot tall man in his sixties, with white hair and a smooth face that looked like he'd undergone tons of plastic surgery. This plus his use of tons of makeup made him look downright strange, like a Ken doll that had melted in a microwave. He was wearing a business suit that looks like the sky, which was mostly blue, but had clouds that moved along the fabric and changed shape or even became rain clouds.

"Why hello, Percy Jackson." The immortal greeted jovially. "It's a pleasure to meet a Hero of Olympus."

"Thank you for the audience, Lord Aeolus."

"Oh, don't mention it. I always have time for meeting famous heroes." The Master of Winds said with a smile.

"Err… Right." Percy shifted uneasily, unused to receiving such a warm welcome from an immortal that was not his dad. As such, he was nervously waiting for the other shoe to drop.

_I just jinxed myself, didn't I?_

"So what do you need, young son of Po-"

The immortal suddenly froze and continued in a menacing tone.

"You're a son of Poseidon, correct?"

"Yeah."

Aeolus' oddly smooth face suddenly grew thunderous and he levelled a glare at Percy. "You're a son of the Stormbringer?"

_Called it._

The son of Poseidon broke out in cold sweat even as he nodded.

"I hate him!" Aeolus bellowed.

Seeing the signs, Percy quickly mounted Cocoa. A fight was about to break out, and he wanted to be as mobile as he could once it did. In the meantime, the immortal was taking a deep breath that he released as a massive gust of wind aimed at the son of Poseidon.

The blast of wind should have sent Percy and co. flying, but he'd reacted quickly and unscrewed the thermos. Considering they were standing in front of a massive wall of brass, he would have been sent crashing into it at hundreds of miles an hour if Aeolus had succeeded with his attack. Instead, the thermos worked its magic and sucked in the whole gust, before it automatically capped itself.

"You dare!?" Aeolus roared. "How many crimes will you commit against me!?" The immortal swept his right hand through the air and sent a barrage of the stuff hovering around him at Percy.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Percy ordered as he stuffed the thermos into his jeans pocket, the thing shrinking to fit. Meanwhile, Cocoa heeded his command and began performing a series of daring aerial acrobatics to evade the hail of studio equipment and set pieces.

"First, your father keeps filling out constantly changing weather requests and making my life difficult."

"Thanks dad." Percy muttered sarcastically as he drew Riptide to fend off a flock of harpies - ugly creatures that looked like a mix between an old lady and a chicken on steroids with wrinkled faces, arms like a human plus wings like a chicken, and a fat, feathered body with talons for feet - that had surged up from the tunnels in the lower part of the chamber to attack them.

"Then you create all that trouble with Typhon and his storm spirits and now you steal from me!?" Aeolus thundered before he slammed his palms together and created a powerful clap of literal thunder, that sent not just Percy and Cocoa but his own minions reeling.

The immortal took advantage, reaching forward to pluck them out of the air, but Cocoa recovered before he could and dove out of the way.

"Into the tunnels!" Terry urged as he flew alongside the pegasus, somehow keeping pace despite all her fancy flying. "I can sense a way out."

"Do not let them escape!" The Master of the Winds bellowed even as Cocoa followed Terry's lead and dove into one of the tunnels. It was as big as the Holland Tunnel and gave the pursuing harpies plenty of room to attack them, but between Cocoa's skilful flying and Percy's swordsmanship, they managed to make it outside.

Not that it was much better out in the open skies.

"Just my luck." Percy said with resignation as they burst out the side of Aeolia only to be confronted by a massive swarm of harpies circling in the air in front of them. Spotting them, the monsters dove at them, their taloned feet poised to tear into their flesh.

_My Lord, there's too many of them._ Cocoa neighed out in terror, even as she dove to avoid the first wave of the ugly creatures.

"I know." Percy acknowledged. "We'll just have to go down fighting!"

"Come on. Anytime now, Little Miss." Terry somehow still miraculously unmolested chirped in agitation as he continued to fly alongside the embattled duo.

"What are you ta-"

The son of Poseidon never got the chance to finish his question before the answer presented itself as he felt a tug on his navel and his vision blurred.

* * *

Thankfully, Percy didn't pass out as a result of the teleport this time. Unfortunately, he wished he had. As soon as he rematerialized Percy leaned over Cocoa's side and let the sudden nausea that the transport had created overtake him. Without the slightest hesitation, he emptied his stomach.

"Well, nice to see you too, Jackson."

"Fidi?" Asked weakly as he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand.

"Ew."

"Ophis?"

"Here use this." Fidi told the confused demigod as she handed him a paper napkin. Percy gratefully accepted and cleaned himself up.

As he did, he took in his surroundings. He was in what looked like some kind of abandoned warehouse with Fidi, Ophis and a old woman who was wearing a shawl that looked like a goat skin. That last bit tickled something in the son of Poseidon's memory but he couldn't pin down what exactly.

"Thanks for the save, Ophis." Percy offered honestly, as he got off a nervous Cocoa. He didn't blame her. Ophis was his friend, and even he was intimidated by her sometimes. "I was in a tight spot back there. I don't know what I'd done if you didn't get me out of there."

Ophis didn't respond, instead with a deep frown she turned to the old woman.

"He's yours."

"What?" Percy asked with mounting dread.

Nico's sister just shot him a deeply apologetic look. "I'm sorry about this, Percy. I really am."

"Sorry about w-" Percy never got to finish his sentence before he passed out and into Fidi's waiting arms.

The nymph laid him onto the ground carefully, before snatching the thermos off his still body.

The old woman stepped up to Percy then and gave him a once over. When she was satisfied, she snapped her fingers and his body floated into the air.

"Will Lupa be able to do it?" Ophis asked the woman worriedly.

"She is the trainer of the Romans." The elderly looking woman replied in a surprisingly youthful sounding voice. "If anyone can make him learn their ways, she will."

"I hope you are right."

The old woman didn't reply, instead choosing to teleport away with Percy in tow.

"My Lady, will Percy be alright?" Terry asked worriedly from his perch on top of Cocoa's head, somehow maintaining his grip even as the pegasus nodded along to his question.

"Percy is the greatest hero Olympus has ever known. If anyone can survive what's ahead, it's Percy." The young protogenos said as she looked at the spot Percy had been with a worried frown.

Neither Terry nor Cocoa were particularly reassured by that, but it wasn't like they could challenge her judgement.

"I thank you for all your help, Terry, Cocoa." Ophis said after a moment and with a wave of her hand she teleported them back home.

"Now that the riff raff are gone. Where's my money?" Limos said as he materialized in front of Ophis.

Ophis' only response was an angry glare at the minor god, even as she indicated for Fidi to hand him a bag of drachma.

Taking the bag from the nymph, the minor god shook it lightly.

"It's all there." Fidi informed him.

"Oh, I'm sure it is." Limos said with a smirk. "After all, you can't afford to gain a reputation for being a cheat, can you, Ophis?"

"Just go."

"Fine. Fine. I'm going." The god of hunger said with a laugh even as he faded away, but before he disappeared entirely he still had one last parting shot. "Good luck collecting from Pegasus."

Ophis waited a moment in silence glaring at where the detestable god had stood before sighing in frustration.

"I hate having to work with someone like him."

"I understand that he was unpleasant, My Lady." Calypso agreed as she teleported in. "But with Olympus closed, we had few takers for a challenge for Percy on his quest. Especially on short notice."

"She's right, mistress." Fidi said with a nod. "Or would you have rather that the other side had another go at Percy instead? Considering how close Kallisto got to killing him, that would not have been wise."

"I know." Ophis said with a huff. "But I still don't like it. I don't like being mean to my friends."

Calypso gave her liege's shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. "Sometimes, needs must."

Ophis just pouted unhappily.

* * *

**And that's this chapter done!**

**Thanks to Engineer4Ever for helping me look through this chapter. I have trouble writing Percy in particular, and he was a great help in 'Percifying' him in this chapter.**

**Besides that I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

**Please review.**

**Peace.**


	8. A symbol is forged

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Chapter 7: A symbol is forged**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

Inside the magma chamber of a raging volcano was an island of solid volcanic rock surrounded on all sides by a sea of lava. Atop this spur of land was set the various instruments of a forge: at its center stood a massive anvil, while in a circle around it were racks of tools and workbenches. This was one of the legendary forges of the Blacksmith of the Gods, Hephaestus.

The forge was currently occupied not only by the fire god but also the three Elder Cyclopes, the weapon smiths who had forged the legendary symbols of power used by the Big Three and other major gods. At the moment, these master craftsmen were busy entertaining quite an august guest, the protogenos Ophis.

"Hephaestus, will this be okay?" The Great Serpent asked as she presented an array of magical items for the forge god's inspection.

"Hmm… An ingot of that new divine metal you created," Hephaestus observed as he lifted the ingot of Primordial Electrum that Alabaster and her troops had helped Ophis acquire.

"Feathers of both Phoenix and Thanatos, of life and death." The god continued as he put down the ingot and picked up the two feathers to examine them closely for a moment.

Putting aside the feathers, he lifted two glowing cylinders and popped their lids to inspect their contents critically. "And last but not least, the essence of wind and water, of Aeolus and Charybdis. All obtained by loyal servants on your behalf."

Seemingly satisfied by his appraisal, he set the items aside to turn to Ophis. "You have amassed quite the impressive collection of ingredients here, little aunt. They are truly of the finest quality."

"Thank you, but-" Ophis was about to repeat her earlier question, anxious to know if she'd prepared everything she needed, but was cut off by the forge god.

"Fret not, Ophis." He told her with a kindly smile. "With ingredients such as these, I'll be sure to forge for you a truly great symbol of power. Now why don't you go sit at the side and wait, I won't be long."

With that said, the god picked up the ingot, hefted up a massive hammer off a nearby tool rack and headed to the anvil. At the same time, one of the Elder Cyclops pointed to a corner where there was a folding chair set up.

Taking the hint, the Great Serpent took a seat and watched as the smiths began crafting her symbol of power.

Over by the anvil Hephaestus was using the hammer and magic to shape the ingot of Primordial Electrum into a long hollow cylinder. Every so often he would stop and use his powers to pull one gadget or the other from his workbenches to him, before proceeding to install them, somehow, into the much too small cylinder.

_Was that a Wifi router? Ok, I can see where that might be useful. But a cupholder really!?_

Shaking her head at her nephew's antics, she turned her attention towards the Elder Cyclopes instead. Working together the three of them were employing some kind of magic to somehow merge the two feathers of Thanatos and Phoenix together. All around them floated runes of arcane power as they gingerly pulled on the edges of the amorphous mass that they had transformed the two into, slowly but surely stretching it out into a fabric.

They were just about finished, Ophis thought, when the sounds of hammering from the anvil stopped. Curious, she turned her attention back towards the smith god. It seemed he was finished with the frame, with its long central cylinder and the many jointed arms at one end and was now moving on to pouring the essences of Aeolus and Charybdis into its hollow center. She watched as he carefully, without spilling a drop filled the entirety of the cylinder with the powerful magical components before sealing it shut.

Just as he finished, the elder cyclopes came over with the fabric they'd just made. Together, the four divine beings attached the fabric to all the appropriate places on the frame. As they finished, they began chanting as they all began casting a whole host of spells on their latest creation.

A minute later they were finished, and with pleased smiles they stepped back to admire their handiwork.

"Ophis, come over and have a look." Hephaestus called over enthusiastically.

Eagerly, she jumped down from her seat and raced over to look at her new symbol up close.

"It's beautiful!" The young divinity praised. "Thank you Hephaestus, Arges, Brontes, Steropes."

"It was our pleasure." Arges replied for his brothers.

"Indeed, it is rare for us to have the opportunity to forge a symbol of power nowadays."

"Brontes is right, young one. It is we who should be thanking you for giving us the chance to work on such a project once more."

Unsure how to respond to that, Ophis just offered them a smile and changed the subject. "So that was fast. Is making symbols of power always this quick?"

"Hah!" Hephaestus scoffed. "Hardly. Your symbol is merely easy, is all."

"Perhaps." Steropes chimed in. "But sometimes simplicity is best."

"After all, the symbols of the Big Three are simple and were finished quickly as well." Arges added, as Brontes nodded in agreement.

"I suppose." The god conceded, though clearly not entirely convinced. "But back to the matter at hand. Ophis, there is one more step before the forging is complete. You need to make it yours."

"How?" Ophis asked while blinking in confusion.

"Just channel your essence through it. That will serve to attune it to you." Brontes kindly explained.

Nodding, Ophis began pouring her power through her new symbol of power. At the same time, she began swinging it around, even opening the parasol and playfully spinning it around.

_I feel like Mary Poppins._ Ophis thought to herself with a giggle, as her coursing power surrounded both her and her new umbrella with her trademark black and white aura.

Closing the umbrella, she sent a mental command to her new weapon and a hidden dagger popped out of its end. Giving it a few experimental thrusts, she smirked.

_Or maybe the Penguin is more appropriate._

Her aura fading, she felt her awareness expanding as the parasol became as much a part of her being as if it were part of her body.

_The attunement must be complete._

Deciding that it was no reason to stop experimenting, she sent another mental command to her symbol. Instantly, it's form shifted into that of a rapier.

"It's heavier than I expected." Ophis noted, as she took a few swings and tried out a few of the moves she had learned from Hux.

"What, you think a rapier is lightweight?" Hephaestus grunted. "That's just pop culture nonsense."

"It's true." Agres agreed. "In reality they are as heavy as any conventional sword."

"I know that, I've trained with them before. I was just saying that I expected one forged by Primordial Electrum and that was my symbol of power would be more suited to me." Ophis explained with a frown. "Instead, this feels a little heavier than I'm comfortable with."

"That's odd." Brontes acknowledged, sharing a confused look with his brothers. "As your symbol, it should suit you perfectly. Unless-"

"Unless, what?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, aunt." Hephaestus cut in before the cyclopes could respond warningly. "Just baseless speculation."

Ophis pouted, but relented. If Hephaestus was so against her learning whatever they were thinking then no amount of pushing, that she was willing to resort to at least, was going to get him to talk.

"If that's the case, then why don't we focus on testing my symbol?"

"That's a good idea." Hephaestus said with a nod. "You're satisfied with the blades?"

"Yes," Ophis acknowledged with a nod even as she finished testing her rapier and allowed her symbol to return to its default form. "Let's test it's defensive capabilities now."

"Sure." Hephaestus shrugged, as he conjured a fireball. The elder cyclopes catching the drift, walked over to the edge of the island and scooped up handfuls of lava from the sea of molten earth.

"Ready!" Ophis declared as she popped her umbrella open and ducked behind the canopy.

At her word, the fire god and the cyclopes began lobbing their heated projectiles at her. Her symbol's defenses held. In fact, they did so incredibly well and the god's flames and the lava flowed off the fabric of her brolly like a water off a duck's back.

The cyclopes decided to mix things up and began chucking chunks of rock at her and the smith god switched from fireballs to a beam of thermal energy. Again, Ophis' new symbol proved its worth as it seem unfazed by the attacks, manifesting a dome shield around her that disintegrated any of the rock that touched it and deflected Hephaestus' laser.

After five minutes of sustained and varied bombardment, the four attacking divinities stopped.

"We're done?" Ophis asked as she poked her head out from behind the fabric of her parasol.

"Yes, it's looking good." The fire god informed her with a proud grin. "We threw around quite a lot of firepower just now and you didn't even feel it, did you?"

"Nope."

"Ha!" Hephaestus grunted. "Then I think it's safe to say that it meets our expectations."

"Considering that the shield strength didn't even waver under such a harsh bombardment than I'd say it might have even exceeded it." Steropes confessed.

"Really? Cool!"

The four older divinites shot odd looks at that, before the fire god just shook his head in amusement. "Never thought I'd hear a protogenos talk like a modern child."

Ophis pouted at that. She might be a protogenos but she was still a modern kid. She was only 8 after all!

"Why don't we try out its gun mode now?" Brontes offered soothingly.

The little girl forgot all about being upset at her nephew's comment at that. She was too excited at the prospect of shooting to care about a little unintentional slight. She had always enjoyed blowing things up!

* * *

Moments later the party of divinities had relocated to the forge's gun range. It was a large cavern elsewhere in the volcano, with a set of targets resembling various monsters at one end while stalls for various shooters had been set up at the other.

"You make a lot of guns here, Hephaestus?" Ophis asked as she surveyed the well equipped range.

"Not really, why do you ask?"

"Then what's with all this?"

"Just being prepared." The god of the forge said with a shrug.

"Ok." The young protogenos said unconvinced. "Well, I guess I should get started."

The others nodded.

"Let's start small." Ophis declared as she casually pointed the tip of her parasol downrange and fired off a series of energy blasts from it. The projectiles hurtled through the air like black and white blurs before slamming into the rock wall of the cavern on the other end in massive explosions.

After launching a dozen shots, Ophis hummed thoughtfully as she reviewed the results. "The speed of the shots are roughly twice as fast as usual and the payload about three times as powerful. Pretty good."

Unbeknownst to her, the four smiths behind her looked at the devastation her test had created with unease.

"Let's try full auto!"

With that enthusiastic cry, the tip of Ophis' umbrella began rapidly firing off a barrage of energy bullets. Each time one of the shots impacted the far end of the range it triggered an explosion, less powerful than those caused by her first set but still impressive nonetheless, and ate away at the rock. In fact, when taking into account the much greater rate of fire, the damage was in total much greater. Something evidenced by the cavern shaking dangerously after only a few seconds of sustained fire.

Thankfully, Ophis took this as her cue to stop.

"I'm totally the Penguin now!" The little girl said with a laugh, one that was not shared by the older divinities who were all eying the far end of the range worriedly.

"Ophis, perhaps now would be a good time to stop." Hephaestus pleaded.

The Great Serpent didn't even hear her nephew, she was too busy gushing about how impressively deadly her new symbol was.

_There's still one more firing mode, isn't there?_ As if in answer, the knowledge flowed into the young protogenos' mind directly from the weapon itself.

"Time for cannon mode!" Ophis cheered, even as power gathered at the tip of her umbrella .

"No!"

Completely caught up in her own excitement, Ophis ignored the smiths and fired off the shot. A massive black and beam beam surged forth from her symbol and easily blasted its way through the other side of the range, disintegrating hundreds of thousands of tons of earth as it reduced an entire quadrant of the volcano into its constituent atoms before streaking up into the open air above and only petering out at the edge of the atmosphere.

In the face of the devastation wrought by her overethusiaism, there was only one thing that Ophis could say. "Opps."

Turning to face her hosts, she was met with the pale faces of the cyclopes as they stared at the gaping hole in the forge. In contrast, Hephaestus was laughing uproariously.

"Hahahaha! That's the craziest thing I've seen in ages. And that's with heroes like Percy Jackson running around doing the darnedest things. Good job, Ophis. Good job!"

"Thanks?"

"No problem." The god said as he regained his composure. "Now then, you happy with our work?"

"Yes, very much so."

"Good. Now there's only one last thing you need to do to make it yours."

_Haven't I already done that?_

"What?"

"Name it." Hephaestus replied with a playful grin.

"A name, huh?" Ophis mused as she gave her parasol a long, searching look.

_It's gotta be something that symbolically links to me and to what it is too… But what?_

It took the girl a good ten minutes before but she finally came up with something she thought might work.

Opening the parasol and using it to shade her from the high noon sun, she smiled towards the smiths who had helped her create it and gave her symbol of power it's name.

"It's name is [Reality's Canvas]."

* * *

**That's one more chapter down!**

**Hope you guys liked this short interlude/filler chapter. It's full of foreshadowing, so I'm honestly curious if anyone can guess what it's all alluding to.**

**On another note, I tried to be coy about what Ophis' symbol of power was at the start. I was originally working towards a dramatic reveal but then realized that seemed a little odd. So I scrapped that idea. I hope that in the end it still turned out ok.**

**Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please drop a review and let me know what you think. Till next time, peace.**


	9. Battle is formally joined

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Chapter 8: Battle is formally joined**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

Sitting on a throne set up by her faithful dracanae and surrounded by an army of her followers, Ophis watched via a conjured portal as the Battle for the Wolf House ebbed and waned, as the fortunes of the two sides constantly changed and one gained the advantage over the other. She had seen as the Hunters of Artemis surprised the guards and retook the sacred ground of the Roman gods from the Earth Mother's forces, only for the chosen of the Goddess of the Hunt to become besieged as Gaea counterattacked.

She looked on as Jason Grace along with his new Camp Half-Blood friends and questmates Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite, and Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, arrived in a bid to rescue Hera. Only to find her trapped in a cage atop of a spire of earth inside the empty pool of the house and another much bigger spire at the opposite side of the pool. This other spire was a solid dark mass about twenty feet high and seemed to be made out of a mass of fused tendrils underneath of which could be made out the shape of a head, wide shoulders, a massive chest and arms, like a creature that was stuck waist deep in the earth but slowly rising out of it.

The demigods wasted time squabbling with Hera and before they could do anything meaningful, they were confronted by the traitorous goddess Khione. Much to her annoyance, the goddess quickly demonstrated how outclassed the demigods were by effortlessly freezing the Hunters and then encasing Hera's prison in ice.

" _You could join me, son of Hephaestus,"_ Khione said, exuding every bit of seductive charm that she could manage as she tried to win the boy over. " _I know you find me beautiful. It would be enough for my plan if these other two were to die. Reject that ridiculous destiny the Fates have given you. Live and be my champion, instead. Your skills would be quite useful."_

For a moment, Valdez looked around as if confused. Ophis didn't know what the boy was thinking but if he chose to join Gaea then he would die.

Abruptly, the Hispanic demigod doubled over with laughter. " _Yeah, join you. Right. Until you get bored of me and turn me into a Leosicle? Lady, nobody messes with my dragon and gets away with it. I can't believe I thought you were hot."_

Fortunately for him, he chose the right choice.

Furious at having being rejected, Khione reacted like the spoiled brat that she was. " _Hot? You dare insult me? I am cold, Leo Valdez. Very, very cold."_

She shot a blast of wintry sleet at the demigods, but Valdez held up his hand. A wall of fire roared to life in front of them, and the snow dissolved in a cloud of steam.

Grinning triumphantly, Valdez shot back. " _See, lady, that's what happens to snow in Texas. It—freaking—melts."_

_You're counting your chickens before they hatch, Valdez._

Proving Ophis right, Khione hissed in anger and ordered her army into action. " _Enough of this. Hera is failing. Porphyrion is rising. Kill the demigods. Let them be our king's first meal!"_

"It's time."

* * *

The monstrous armies of Gaea were leaping into action, literally in many cases, when suddenly the entire battlefield was filled by dozens of black and white spheres that appeared in the middle of the monsters' ranks and disintegrated any unlucky enough to touch them upon contact. One such sphere manifested itself directly between Khione and Valdez as the demigod charged the goddess.

"You!" Khione screamed in terror as the spheres faded away to reveal their payload: hundreds of the warriors of Ophis and standing between the goddess and her demigod opponent was the protogenos herself.

"Hello, Khione." Ophis greeted with a bloodthirsty grin even as her troops surged forward to engage the enemy.

Squads of her dracaenae charged the earthborn, using their long spears to herd the ogres together where it was easy for the drakons, dragons and giant snakes to destroy them.

Meanwhile, teams of her loyal demigods equipped with silver weapons and protected from Khione's chill by her own power were dealing with the lycanthropes. The finely honed tactics that Alabaster had drilled into his men paying dividends as they overwhelmed the feral wolves.

Last but most definitely not least were the Outsiders who were dealing with the Storm Spirits, the massive serpentine giants using their nature as beings slightly out of phase of reality to match and counter the intangibility of their foes while using their ability to teleport to keep up with the swift spirits. Leading them was her daughter Lily, who for the first time had assumed her true form, that of a massive Outsider with her trademark bow suitably resized and tied to the top of her head and fleur de lis patterns running across her scales. The Outsiders were proving such a problem for the storm spirits that they were forced to combine together to better fight them.

_The idiots don't realize that doing that just makes our job easier._ Ophis mused as she concluded her quick assessment of the battle.

"Looks like things are not going your way, is it?" The Great Serpent jeered at the minor goddess.

"This isn't the end Ophis!" The goddess shot back even as pooled her power, only to gasp as nothing happened.

"What did you do!?"

"Oh, nothing. Just locked down teleportation in the area that's all."

"You-"

Whatever the goddess was about to say was cut off as a large fireball slammed into her side.

"Hey! Forgetting about me?" Leo Valdez cried out as he advanced on the goddess. His whole body flickered with red tongues of flame like he'd been doused with gasoline as he used two silver-tipped ball-peen hammers to smash any monsters that got in his way.

"Know your place and stay out of this, you pathetic mortal!" Khione screamed as she sent a tornado of snow at the demigod in retaliation.

For a moment, Ophis considered intervening. Logically speaking there was no way a mortal, even a demigod, could stand up to the power of a goddess. But perhaps because of the superiority of his element, the blessing of his father that Ophis could sense on him, or Khione's own weakness, Leo Valdez easily burned through the snow goddess' attack.

"Impossible!"

Ophis tended to agree. The power that Valdez was exhibiting was unnatural. His fiery aura was heating up the whole courtyard, countering Khione's winter magic. Without him, his questmates would've been frozen like the Hunters long ago. He was radiating such heat that wherever the boy went, ice melted off the stones.

Looking deeply at the boy for a moment, Ophis frowned at what she discovered.

_He's burning his very soul to fuel his power. What is Hephaestus and the Fates thinking giving him such a dangerous power?_

She would be worried, but she was sure that there was a good reason that the boy had been entrusted with such a double edged sword.

Perhaps Khione had realized the same. Had seen that the boy with this power could legitimately hurt her for she began backing away from him, a look of genuine panic on his face.

"Stay away!" The goddess screamed as she conjured hundreds of ice daggers and sent them flying at the flame enshrouded boy. He just conjured a wave of fire that destroyed the frozen blades.

Ophis could've used Khione's panic to attack, but this was a far better punishment for the arrogant goddess than anything she could come up with. Being defeated by a mortal? For someone like Khione, that would be worst than death. Not that Ophis would let her escape _that_ particular fate.

Khione shot a blast of winter air at Valdez as she continued to back away. "Don't come any closer!"

He didn't even bother to cancel the wintry gust, his flaming aura allowing him to walk through it like it was nothing more than a cool spring breeze.

By this time, the last of the enemies were being dealt with. There was piles of gold dust everywhere. Some of the werewolves had survived by slinking away into the ruins, yelping from their wounds, and were being hunted down by her troops. McLean had stabbed the last Earthborn, who toppled to the ground in a pile of sludge. Jason rode his newly acquired storm spirit mount through the last of the opposing ventus, breaking it into vapor.

Using telepathy, Ophis ordered her troops to stay away from the pool. They had no place in the fight that was about to take place there.

"You're too late," Khione snarled, as she backed into a wall of the empty pool. "He's awake! And don't think you've won anything here, demigods. Hera's plan will never work. You'll be at each other's throats before you can ever stop us."

Valdez set his hammers ablaze and threw them at the goddess, they slammed into her and set her flying into the wall where she hit with enough force to send cracks spider webbing from the point of impact. She crumpled to the ground where she lay sprawled, her limbs twisted and obviously broken by the force of the blow, her golden ichor flowing freely from her mouth and the countless wounds that littered her body.

The boy stepped forward to finish the job, but Ophis teleported in front of him to bar his way.

"I'll do it." Ophis told the boy sternly, her eyes flashing with her power in warning, even as she summoned [Reality's Canvas] and leveled it at the battered goddess.

Wisely, the boy backed up.

In the background, there was a cracking sound and the melting ice on Hera's cage sloughed off in a curtain of slush, and the goddess called out, "Oh, don't mind me! Just the queen of the heavens, dying over here!"

"Just wait a minute, sister." Ophis said even as she dispassionately took the shot. The bullet of black and white energy launched from the tip of her symbol of power and bored a hole through Khione's head, exploding within the confines of her skull and vaporising its contents in the process. Even as her body disintegrated, the protogenos of Time and Space exerted her will and scattered the goddess' essence across the length and breadth of the universe, to never come together ever again.

The three questers looked at her in horror, but she ignored them and turned her attention to Hera.

"Ophis? Did you jus- Never mind that! The earth is claiming me. Hurry!"

Ophis nodded, what she saw inside the cage was alarming. Not only was Hera sinking, the ground was rising around her like water in a tank. Liquid rock had already covered her shins.

"The giant wakes!" Hera warned. "You only have seconds!"

Despite her sister's warning, Ophis just grit her teeth and did nothing. The fates had a plan and as much as she disagreed with and outright hated it, she knew better than to interfere. Too much, at least.

Jason and McLean spent a precious second looking at her expectantly, as if hoping that she - someone they must have realized by now was a divinity - would do something. Thankfully, Valdez was on the case.

"On it," Leo said. "Piper, I need your help. Talk to the cage."

"What?"

"Talk to it. Use everything you've got. Convince Gaea to sleep. Lull her into a daze. Just slow her down, try to get the tendrils to loosen while I—"

"Right!" Piper cleared her throat and said, "Hey, Gaea. Nice night, huh? Boy, I'm tired. How about you? Ready for some sleep?"

The more she talked, the more confident she sounded and the more powerful her charmspeak became. Jason looked like he was succumbing to her power and Ophis casually wrapped him in her power.

As he was wrapped in her black and white aura, he looked at her questioningly.

"The fates have decreed that Porphyrion shall rise." Ophis explained, "It is the price for Hera's plan. I cannot interfere with that. Not without a price I am unwilling to pay."

Inside her cage, Hera shot her a shocked look which Ophis returned with a steely one of her own. Did her elder sister really believe that the fates would not exact a price from her for her plan? For her interference in their weave?

The daughter of love's charmspeak seemed to have some effect on the cage. The mud was rising more slowly. The tendrils seemed to soften just a little—becoming more like tree roots than rock. Valdez pulled a circular saw out of his tool belt, but then looked at the cord and grunted in frustration. "I don't have anywhere to plug it in!"

Jason's pet storm spirit jumped into the pit and whinnied, offering to power the saw.

"Really?" Jason asked.

The spirit dipped his head and trotted over to Valdez.

The son of Hephaestus looked dubious, but he held up the plug, and a breeze whisked it into the horse's flank. Lighting sparked, connecting with the prongs of the plug, and the circular saw whirred to life.

"Sweet!" The pyrokinetic grinned. "Your horse comes with AC outlets!"

"Do not forget what I said about Porphyrion." Ophis warned.

As if on cue, on the other side of the pool, the giant's spire crumbled with a sound like a tree snapping in half. Its outer sheath of tendrils exploded from the top down, raining stone and wood shards as the giant shook himself free and climbed out of the earth.

Porphyrion was at least forty feet tall. He was humanoid from the waist up, clad in bronze armor, and from the waist down he had scaly dragon's legs; but his skin was the color of lima beans. His hair was green as summer leaves, braided in long locks and decorated with weapons —daggers, axes, and full-size swords, some of them bent and bloody— trophies taken from his defeated foes eons before. When the giant opened his eyes, they were blank white, like polished marble. He radiated raw strength, even magnetism, as if the giant were so huge and dense he had his own gravitational field.

Ophis was not impressed. _Is that supposed to scare me?_

Jason didn't seem to agree however as he whimpered at the sight of the giant king.

"Alive!" The revived giant bellowed. "Praise to Gaea!"

"Leo," Jason said, as he took a calming breath.

"Huh?" Valdez's mouth was wide open. Even McLean seemed dazed.

"You guys keep working, get Hera free!"

"What are you going to do?" McLean asked fearfully. "You can't seriously—"

"Entertain a giant?" Jason said. "I've got no choice."

"You will not face him alone." Ophis said as she stepped into Porphyrion's view.

The giant recoiled at the sight of her. "Ophis! What are _you_ doing here?"

"I am here with Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, to kill you nephew."

Porphyrion turned to look at Jason, before he burst into a laugh. "You had me worried there, Ophis. For a moment there I thought you might actually have a plan to do something that could actually hurt me."

Ophis' only response was to level [Reality's Canvas] at him and fire off a cannon shot. The beam of energy that resulted tore through him, disintegrating his entire upper torso before carrying on to carve a miles long trench in the earth.

"Wow!" Jason and the other demigods gasped in awe. Ophis however kept her cool, she knew things were far from over.

"Hahaha!" Porphyrion's laughter echoed across the whole area as his body knit itself back together in a grotesque display, which kept the demigods stunned from the horror of it all. "You should know that you can't kill us gigantes like that, Ophis. Or did you forget your fight with Thoon?"

"Oh, I remember." Ophis informed him. "But that just means I can beat you up as much as I want. You can take it, after all."

"Is that why you came here today?" The giant king asked.

Switching [Reality's Canvas] to auto and blasting holes through his body with it, Ophis replied. "I quite enjoyed torturing him for his insolence, so why would I miss this opportunity?"

"Hahaha! Truly an aunt after my own heart." Porphyrion said as he ignored the quickly healing wounds he was receiving and stalked menacingly towards a terrified Jason.

From the alternating looks the boy was shooting between the giant and herself, Ophis was certain that the son of Jupiter was pretty confused right now about who he was more afraid of.

Switching back to cannon mode, Ophis fired another shot at Porphyrion to try to force him away from Jason. The giant was prepared though. He rose to his full height and held out his hand. A twenty-foot spear shot from the earth. He grasped it, and swung it at the beam. Impossibly, this somehow managed to deflect the powerful attack and send it flying harmlessly into the sky.

Ophis just gritted her teeth in frustration, even as she tried to rethink her strategy. _So this is the power of the giant king._

Turning to face her, he leveled her with a challenging glare. "Do not take me as your weakling Father or Thoon, Ophis. I am Porphryion, king of the giants, son of Gaea. In olden times, I rose from Tartarus, the abyss of my father, to challenge the gods. To start the war, I stole Zeus's queen." He grinned at the goddess's cage. "Hello, Hera."

"My husband destroyed you once, monster!" Hera said. "He'll do it again!"

"But he didn't, my dear! Zeus wasn't powerful enough to kill me. He had to rely on a puny demigod to help, and even then, we almost won. This time, we will complete what we started. Gaea is waking. She has provisioned us with many fine servants. Our armies will shake the earth—and we will destroy you at the roots."

"You wouldn't dare," Hera said, but she was weakening. It was clear in her voice. McLean and Valdez were doing their best, but the earth was still rising inside Hera's prison, covering her up to her waist.

That said, Hera was not the only divine being on the side of Olympus there. "You are not the only one with armies, Porphyrion."

"Oh, I know." The giant king replied, happily. "I'll be most pleased to pit my armies against yours. They are quite impressive and defeating them will be a great achievement."

"It will never happen."

"We shall see." Porphyrion replied with a patronizing smile.

Turning his attention back to Hera, he continued boasting. "The Titans sought to attack your new home in New York. Bold, but ineffective. Gaea is wiser and more patient. And we, her greatest children, are much, much stronger than Kronos. We know how to kill you Olympians once and for all. You must be dug up completely like rotten trees—your eldest roots torn out and burned."

As he finished speaking, his eyes settled on McLean and Valdez and frowned. Apparently realizing what they were attempting, he stomped the ground with his dragon's feet. The ruins shook. All around the courtyard, monsters started to regather—storm spirits, wolves, and Earthborn, all answering the giant king's call.

"Intercept them!" Ophis ordered her troops, even as she shifted [Reality's Canvas] into its rapier form and charged Porphyrion.

The giant thrust his immense spear at her but Ophis twisted space and disappeared moments before he would have struck her. Reappearing behind him, she slashed at his left ankle and cut deep into his flesh. Porphyrion stumbled forward, hissing in pain he spun around in a bid to stab at Ophis. Mid way through the motion however Jason slammed into him and sent him falling gracelessly to the ground.

Ophis teleported atop his fallen form, standing astride one of his massive eyes she stabbed down.

"Argh!" The giant howled as he clutched his ruined eye, which stubbornly refused to heal. Taking advantage, Jason who had somehow hung on even as the giant thrashed about in pain, stabbed at Porphyrion's ear at the same time as he called down a bolt of lightning from the heavens. The blast sent the son of Jupiter flying and Ophis teleported him to her side, even as she readied for another round with the giant king.

Clearly favoring his right leg, Porphyrion unsteadily climbed to his feet. His right eye was a bloody mess, his hair was on fire, and the side of his face was blackened from lightning. The sword that Jason had stabbed him with had splintered in his ear leaving behind a wound that caused golden ichor to run down his jaw. The other weapons were sparking and smoldering in his braids.

"He's not healing?" Jason asked, surprised.

"[Reality's Canvas] cuts space itself. He can't heal what's not there anymore."

"So that's what you've done?" Porphyrion asked, sounding unfazed despite his injuries. "Quite the impressive trick. An improvement over the one you used on Thoon, isn't it? This will certainly prove to be something that will require quite some time to overcome. I look forward to the challenge."

As he finished he leveled his spear at them. It was glowing with a dark aura that shocked Ophis.

_The power to pierce!? But that's Uncle Iapetus' power!?_

Despite her shock, she knew there was no way to block an attack with that attribute nor evade it. Whatever was imbued with it would pierce _any_ shield and _always_ hit its target.

_That leaves only one option._

Porphyrion thrust his spear forward a thousand times in a single second and in the process reduced the entire Wolf House to unrecognizable rubble. Ophis responded by pouring her power into her body and her rapier, manipulating time and space to the limits of her current form. She moved so fast that to the outside observer she seemed to be in a thousand different places at once. And in a way she was, for in the instant that the giant king thrust his spear, Ophis moved to parry every single one of his thrusts all at the same time.

_If you can't block it with a shield or evade it, then you can only parry._ Ophis thought to herself with a pleased smile at having pulled that off, even as she caught her breath.

The giant king meanwhile stumbled back with a look of surprise on his face at having his move deflected.

"You continue to impress me, aunt."

"Forgetting me?" Jason cried out as he threw a chunk of the ruins at the giant, which bounced off harmlessly.

"Be gone gnat." Porphyrion said dismissively even as he causally fired a bolt of power at the son of Jupiter.

_No!_ Ophis screamed even as she shifted [Reality's Canvas] back into its default mode and intercepted the bolt with one of her own.

Heaving a sigh of relief, she turned to face her opponent once more only to feel dread at the look of contemplation that appeared on the giant king's face.

"So you would try to save the mortals, would you? Well then, let's see you save them from this!" At that, Porphyrion stomped his feet and spread his arms wide. In response, a multitude of bolts of power streaked out from his body and curved through the sky in random patterns as they headed towards their targets: Ophis' troops.

Without even thinking, Ophis switched [Reality's Canvas] to full auto and opened fire, desperately trying to shoot down as many of the enemy's projectiles as possible. She'd managed to thin the number to a few dozens when Porphyrion's spear slammed into her.

The only thing keeping her from being impaled was her Dimensional Armor and even with it she could feel the immense weight of the giant king's spear, both physical and metaphysical, pressing down on her and keeping her pinned to the ground.

"Checkmate, aunt."

A surge of power behind him however distracted the giant from his moment of triumph. Exploiting his lack of focus and the lessening of the aura suppressing her powers, Ophis gathered her strength and teleported out from under his spear. Reappearing over his right wrist, she slashed with [Reality Canvas] in its rapier mode, severing the whole hand. The hand and the spear it clutched fell to the earth with an echoing bang even as Ophis teleported to her freed sister's side.

Hera, now free from her cage, was growing in size and glowing with power.

"Yes!" the goddess said. She threw off the black robes she had been wearing to reveal a white gown, her arms bedecked with golden jewelry. Her face was both terrible and beautiful, and a golden crown glowed in her long black hair. "Now I shall have my revenge!"

The giant Porphyrion, clutching his severed hand, backed away. He said nothing, his face caught in a rictus of pain. He hadn't taken leave of senses though and immediately seemed to realize the tide had turned. With a stomp of his foot, the giant disappeared into the ground like he'd dropped down a chute.

Around the courtyard, monsters began to panic and retreat, but there was no escape for them.

Hera glowed brighter. She shouted, "Cover your eyes, my heroes!"

Realizing her sister's intent, Ophis quickly extended her power over her subjects to shield them from Hera's fury.

But Jason was in too much shock.

He still had his eyes open as Hera turned into a supernova, exploding in a ring of force that vaporized every enemy monster instantly. As the light peaked, he fell, his body burning.

* * *

"JASON!" McLean kept calling his name as she held him, though it seemed hopeless. He'd been unconscious for two minutes now. His body was steaming, his eyes rolled back in his head. He wasn't even breathing.

"It's no use, child." Hera said as she stood over them in her simple black robes and shawl.

In the wake of Hera unleashing her power, every vestige of winter was swept from the valley. No signs of battle remained either. The monsters had been vaporized. The ruins had been restored to what they were before—still ruins, but with no evidence that they'd been overrun by a horde of wolves, storm spirits, and six-armed ogres. Even the Hunters had been revived.

Most of them, and Ophis' troops besides, waited at a respectful distance, but their leader Thalia knelt by McLean's side, her hand on Jason's forehead.

Thalia glared up at the goddess. "This is your fault. Do something!"

"Do not address me that way, girl. I am the queen—"

"Fix him!"

Hera's eyes flickered with power. "I did warn him. I would never intentionally hurt the boy. He was to be my champion. I told them to close their eyes before I revealed my true form."

"Um …" Valdez frowned. "True form is bad, right? So why did you do it?"

"I unleashed my power to help you, fool!" Hera cried. "I became pure energy so I could disintegrate the monsters, restore this place, and even save these miserable Hunters from the ice."

"But mortals can't look upon you in that form!" Thalia shouted. "You've killed him!"

Leo shook his head in dismay. "That's what our prophecy meant. Death unleash, through Hera's rage. Come on, lady. You're a goddess. Do some voodoo magic on him! Bring him back."

"Quiet." Ophis hissed at the lot of them. "I'm negotiating with Big Brother Hades."

"You're what!?" Hera demanded, spinning to glare at Ophis.

Ophis glared right back. "He's essential isn't he? To _your_ plan? We can't have him dying here."

"But reviving him from the dead is-"

"Within our power," Ophis insisted. "So long as certain conditions are met."

"What conditions?" Thalia demanded.

"He's breathing!" McLean announced suddenly.

"Impossible," Hera said before her glare towards Ophis intensified. "What have you done!? The natural order-"

"Is unbroken." Ophis said with a tired sigh. Negotiating with Hades while listening to Hera berating her was exhausting. "McLean's charmspeak was powerful enough to call his soul back from the edge."

"Healing is not a power of Aphrodite!" Hera all but shouted. "This is against the rules!"

"And we care so much for the rules don't we, Hera?" Ophis shot back accusingly. "Besides, all we really need is an excuse and this is pretty good."

The Queen of Olympus had no reply so settled for glaring back.

"Jason," McLean perhaps taking courage from their conversation continued to call out to her boyfriend. "Wake up."

He gasped, and his eyes flew open. "What—what happened?"

Ophis smiled, while Hera looked upon the scene with annoyance.

McLean wrapped him in a hug until he groaned, "Crushing me."

"Sorry," she said, so relieved, she laughed while wiping a tear from her eye.

Thalia gripped her brother's hand. "How do you feel?"

"Hot," he muttered. "Mouth is dry. And I saw something… really terrible."

"That was Hera," Thalia grumbled. "Her Majesty, the Loose Cannon."

"That's it, Thalia Grace," said the goddess. "I'll turn you into an aardvark, so help me—"

Ophis stepped forward, [Reality's Canvas] raised threateningly at Thalia. The girl might be a friend - if a distant one - but she would not sit back and see her _sister_ be repeatedly insulted. The Hunter may be correct, but she didn't need to be so rude.

"Stop it, all three of you," McLean shouted, her voice laced with charmspeak and exasperation.

Thalia froze, a victim of the girl's power. Hera just huffed in indignation and looked away. Ophis just shot the Hunter a warning look and lowered her weapon.

McLean helped Jason to his feet and gave him some nectar, before turning to address everyone else. "Hera—Your Majesty—we couldn't have rescued you without the Hunters. And Thalia, you never would've seen Jason again—I wouldn't have met him—if it weren't for Hera. You two make nice, because we've got bigger problems."

Ophis raised her hand into the air.

"And Lady Ophis, err… thank you for all your help?"

The young protogenos pouted. _Was that all you can say?_

Hera and Thalia glared at her, both of them looking murderous.

Finally Thalia grunted. "You've got spirit, Piper."

She pulled a silver card from her parka and tucked it into the pocket of Piper's snowboarding jacket. "You ever want to be a Hunter, call me. We could use you."

Hera crossed her arms. "Fortunately for this Hunter, you have a point, daughter of Aphrodite."

She assessed McLean, as if seeing her clearly for the first time. "You wondered, Piper, why I chose you for this quest, why I didn't reveal your secret in the beginning, even when I knew Enceladus was using you. I must admit, until this moment I was not sure. Something told me you would be vital to the quest."

"The Fates." Ophis whispered under her breath, and earning herself an annoyed glance from her sister as she continued.

"Now I see I was right. You're even stronger than I realized. And you are correct about the dangers to come. We must work together."

McLean blushed hard at the praise. Of course she did, it was not everyday that a girl got praised so highly by the Matron of Women.

"Yeah. I don't suppose that Porphyrion just melted and died, huh?" Valdez asked hopefully.

"No," Hera agreed. "By saving me, and saving this place, you prevented Gaea from waking. You have bought us some time. But Porphyrion has risen. He simply knew better than to stay here, especially since he has not yet regained his full power. Giants can only be killed by a combination of god and demigod, working together."

"About that," Valdez cut in, much to Hera's annoyance. "If that's the case, why wasn't he scared of the little miss here?"

"I'm a protogenos. Not a god." Ophis explained. "It's an important distinction."

"Okay~" Valdez acknowledged with a nod, clearly unsatisfied with that answer.

"Yes, it is." Hera said, retaking the reins of the conversation. "Once you freed me—"

"He ran away," Jason said. "But to where?"

"Greece obviously." Ophis said with a shrug. It wasn't _that_ difficult to guess.

"Isn't that a very, very bad thing?" Valdez worriedly asked.

"Yes," Hera confirmed. "But we have more urgent problems to deal with at the moment."

"Like?" McLean asked, her dread clear to all. She couldn't imagine what kind of problem would be more important right now than fighting Porphyrion.

Hera didn't reply and Ophis kept quiet too. For the plan to unite the Camps to work, it must be left to the initiative of the heroes themselves. Forcing it upon them would just breed resentment and tension.

The demigods however didn't know that and waited with bated breath for them to explain things.

"I need to find Annabeth," Thalia said with a grunt of frustration when she realized that Ophis and Hera would tell them nothing. "She has to know what's happened here."

"Thalia …" Jason gripped her hand. "We never got to talk about this place, or—"

"I know." Her expression softened. "I lost you here once. I don't want to leave you again. But we'll meet soon. I'll rendezvous with you back at Camp Half-Blood." She glanced at Hera. "You'll see them there safely? It's the least you can do."

"It's not your place to tell me—"

"Queen Hera," McLean interceded. The goddess sighed. "Fine. Yes. Just off with you, Hunter!"

Thalia gave Jason a hug and said her good-byes.

Ophis took this opportunity to go talk to Alabaster, Hux and Lily.

"My Lady."

"Mommy!"

Ophis greeted her subordinates with a nod, before opening her arms wide to allow her daughter to coil around her.

"Did you enjoy your first battle, Lily?" Ophis asked her child even as she hugged her.

"Yup. It was fun! Can we do it again soon?"

"We'll see." Ophis replied evasively, before turning to her two captains. "Casualties?"

"Heavy." Hux admitted with a stern face. "We underestimated the durability of the Gegeines. We'll need to bring heavy weapons if we're facing them again."

"Noted." Ophis said with a frown. "Those who died will be resurrected in the cathedral back on Ogygia by week's end."

Ophis had seized control of the afterlives of the monsters who served her shortly after the Titan War. As such instead of going to Tartarus, those sworn to her service instead entered her coils once they died and if she judged them worthy she would collect and repair their essences and revive them in the cathedral on Ogygia.

"Thank you, My Lady." Hux offered with a grateful bow.

"Alabaster?"

"A few serious injuries. But nothing life threatening. The lycanthropes were a good choice of opponents."

"Good to hear." Ophis nodded, even as she noticed that Hera's conversation with the questers was wrapping up. "Hux, Alabaster, prepare the troops for the trip back to Ogygia. I need to have a word with my sister."

Bowing at their dismissal, the two captains left to do her bidding. As they set to work, Ophis walked to Hera.

She was just close enough to hear the Olympian wish the demigods farewell and teleport them back to Camp Half-Blood. When they had disappeared, Ophis walked up to Hera and stared her down.

"Your plan is backfiring." Ophis informed her gravely. "It's designed to improve our chances against Gaea and her giants, but so far it seems to only have strengthened them."

"Perhaps." Hera hedged, unwilling to admit that she had screwed up. "But this is only the beginning. In fact, the first act has not even been concluded yet."

"Is that so? Well, then I certainly hope things improve." Ophis said with a skeptical shrug.

"You have alternative plans?"

"Of course."

With that ambiguous reply, Ophis and her army teleported back to Ogygia.

* * *

**And done! Another one bites the dust.**

**This was honestly an odd chapter to write. I wanted to keep the broad strokes of canon so borrowed heavily from it but when I started writing I kept getting frustrated at the lack of depth that canon had in reference to this battle. This strongly tempted me to just go completely off the rails, but that's not what I am attempting to do with this series of fics and so I refrained. Barely.**

**Hopefully the end product wasn't too bad.**

**Please review and let me know what you think.**


	10. Visiting family and friends

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Chapter 9: Visiting family and friends**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

It was the 17th of March, popularly known as St. Patrick's Day and Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto, had just climbed New Rome's Temple Hill to visit the Temple of Ophis. She'd come in the late afternoon, when the usual trickle of pilgrims to the temple had evaporated. The Great Serpent might not be one of the traditional gods of Rome but after her rather dramatic visitations to New Rome, she had amassed a sizable following of devotees.

Not that Hazel was one of them. She had a far more interesting relationship with the youngest of the protogenoi.

"No one's here?" Hazel observed as she surveyed the empty temple. The altars were full of sacrificial offerings, but there was no sign of anyone.

_Maybe I'm early?_ Frowning, the daughter of Pluto checked her watch.

"I'm on time."

As if waiting for that cue - and with Ophis that might actually be the case - Ophis, Fidi, Lily and Nico materialized out of nowhere.

Hazel squeaked out in surprise at their sudden appearance. She knew it was somewhat unbecoming for a legionary but she couldn't help it. Appearing out of thin air, was pretty much a classic jump scare.

The legionary had just regained her composure somewhat when Lily leapt from her mother's shoulders and into Hazel's arms.

"Hello, Auntie Hazel!"

Stumbling for a bit to regain her balance even as the snake coiled affectionately around her, something she only managed from long practice, Hazel returned the greeting. "Hi Lily."

"Lily, what did I say about jumping on people like that?" Ophis scolded even as she came forward to reclaim her daughter, who happily slithered back onto her mother's shoulders.

"Don't do it?" Lily replied cheekily. "Sorry Auntie Hazel, Mummy."

"Just don't do it again." Ophis said with a resigned sigh.

While Ophis was trying and failing to discipline her daughter, Nico came over and offered his own greeting. "How are you doing, Hazel?"

"I've been good." Hazel returned happily. "It's nice to see you."

Nico just offered her a smile, even as Ophis finished with Lily and came over. With her daughter still coiled around her slender shoulders, the protogenoi hugged Hazel.

"Hi Hazel." She said as they broke the hug.

"Hello Ophis." Hazel replied, fighting the urge to ruffle the adorable looking girl's hair. Ophis may not look it but she was one of the most powerful beings in the world, and Hazel didn't want to offend her.

"So what are we doing today?" Hazel asked curiously, even as she exchanged a nod in greeting with Fidi as the nymph laid out a blanket just before the main altar and started unloading some containers of food. "A picnic?"

"That's the plan." Ophis explained cheerfully, while grabbing Hazel's hand and dragging her towards the picnic blanket.

Hazel couldn't help but smile at the younger girl's enthusiasm, a sentiment her brother shared if Nico's amused shake of his head was any indication.

They all took a seat around the edges of the blanket even as Fidi continued unpacking the essentials. All of them waiting excitedly to sample the probably heavenly food that Ophis' chefs had prepared for them.

The festive mood was dimmed a little though by an innocent if inappropriate comment from Lily. "This picnic is gonna be great! The only thing that could make it better is if Auntie Bianca was here too."

Nico froze at that and both Ophis and Hazel shot him concerned looks. It was an open secret that Nico was still broken up over his elder sister's death. He'd gotten better at coping with it over the years but even now it remained a deep wound.

It was thus quite a surprise to Hazel that Nico managed to shake off his sadness quickly and reply to Lily's statement.

"I'd like that too, Lily." The son of Hades said with a bittersweet smile. "But Bianca made her choice. By now, she's probably been reborn already and is celebrating with her new family."

"Oh," Lily replied in a subdued hiss.

Fidi gave Nico an approving look at that, while Hazel and Ophis just exchanged a relieved one of their own.

"Enough chit chat for now." Fidi declared, as she began handing out disposable plates and utensils. "The food's ready, so let's eat."

This was met with a chorus of agreement as the whole group dug in.

* * *

Ophis ran her hand across the scales of her sleeping daughter who had coiled herself into a ball and nested on her lap, even as she listened to Hazel regale the rest of them about her time as a legionary so far.

"... If there's one thing I had to complain about is that the rest of the legion keeps looking down on the FIfth Cohort."

"You want me to go have a word with the Praetor?" Nico suggested. As the Ambassador of Pluto and Champion of Ophis, he held quite a lot of influence in New Rome and could probably make the lives of any of Hazel's bullies hell if he wanted to.

"No, it's not that bad." Hazel hastily reassured. "In fact it even has its good side."

"Good side?" Fidi looked up from putting away the picnic things to ask.

"Well, it encourages us to work harder to do better. And it also brings us all together more."

"So you sure you don't want my help?" Nico pressed, clearly unsatisfied with Hazel's evasion.

"I'm sure." Hazel said trying to be confident, but not quite pulling it off.

Ophis decided to take pity on her niece. "I'm sure things will get better."

Nico shot her a searching look at that and Ophis could only tilt her head in confusion. _Did I say something weird?_

"Was that prophetic?" He asked worriedly. "Because if it is then you're bending the rules again and you know that's a bad idea."

"That's not it at all." Ophis reassured him. "It's just a truism. Things will always get better eventually."

Nico just nodded. Ophis could tell however that her Big Brother was not entirely convinced and would be watching her like a hawk for the foreseeable future.

_Just great._

"What's this about bending the rules?" Hazel asked, clearly confused about the direction that the conversation had taken.

"Well, it's like this. Apparently, there are rules about how much gods can interfere."

"Really?"

"Yup," Nico explained gravely. "If they break or even bend the rules, bad things happen. I went on a quest for Ophis recently and she bent the rules, and well things got bad."

"And Rhea won't let me forget it." Ophis whispered under her breath, unheard by the two demigods though Fidi shot her a comforting look.

"How bad?" Hazel asked with a bated breath.

"Well, I ended in a fight with Phoenix and thanks to Ophis' rule bending it led to me being cut off from my geokinesis during the fight."

Hazel winced at that. As a legionary she knew full well how dangerous abruptly getting cut off from one of their powers could be for a demigod, especially in a fight.

"Can Phoenix do that? I mean can he command the earth?"

"He can't." Ophis explained. "Not alone. But he wasn't the one who makes sure we follow the rules."

"Who does then?"

"Depends. Other gods, mostly. It's part of the Ancient Laws." Ophis said with a shrug. She couldn't really give a clearer answer than that. It would be almost impossible to explain how the Ancient Laws were a force onto themselves after having been imbued by the power of the gods over the eons.

"Is it just me or doesn't it look like the gods aren't as free to act as they'd like? I mean this explains why they don't interfere in quests much even though sometimes, with the stakes involved, it looks like they should." Hazel commented thoughtfully.

"You are quite right, Hazel." Fidi said as she finished packing the picnic basket and sat down. "There are many things that bind the scope of action divine beings can take."

"There are literally thousands of them." Ophis whined. "I'm learning more of them all the time."

Nico raised a curious eyebrow at this. "That why you're sending Alabaster and I on all those missions? To test out the rules?"

"No," Ophis informed him guiltily. She really, really wanted to tell him the truth of the situation. But she couldn't, not yet. Not without him probing into things that was best left alone for now. She was glad though that he'd offered her a clear way to deflect his probing. "Though it's certainly helped me better get a hang of the rules."

"So the real reason?"

Ophis shook her head guiltily. She wasn't telling. _It's for your own good, Big Brother._

"Godly business, then?"

Ophis nodded. It wasn't the whole truth, but it was close enough.

"Err… What are you guys talking about?"

"My Lady is keeping secrets, Hazel." Fidi explained. "Godly secrets that can't be shared with mortals without dire consequences even if the mortal in question is a beloved sibling."

Hazel nodded, thoughtful once more.

"I thought gods could do whatever they wanted, but it's looking like they are bound by so many things."

"Yeah, I'm getting that too." Nico agreed. "I'm honestly starting to feel bad for Ophis about it."

"I am too."

"It's not that bad." Ophis reassured the two demigods. "I just need to learn to live with it."

Hazel and Nico exchanged a look then, though Ophis couldn't decipher what it was about.

"By the way, you mentioned someone called Alabaster just now, who's that?" Hazel asked, transparently changing the topic.

"He's the cool magician that always gives me the best rats!" Lily, apparently having woken up from her nap, chimed in happily.

The others seemed to find Lily's statement amusing but Ophis frowned down at her daughter.

"Lily, why must you be such a glutton? Don't I feed you enough? Why do you have to go around trying to get snacks from everyone?"

"But they are tasty!"

"That's not a good reason!"

"But Mummy is always eating snacks too."

Ophis blushed at this, but refused to back down. "Not all the time. Besides, this is about you not me."

"Double standard."

In the background, Ophis heard Nico explain how Alabaster was the leader of demigod contingent of her growing army. Hazel seemed shocked that Ophis had an army at all.

In response to her skepticism, Nico replied. "Technically she's had an army since the Titan War. But I do find it strange that she's been expanding it lately."

Deciding it was time to join in on that conversation, Ophis sent her daughter one last quelling look and said, "I have my reasons."

Nico just sighed.

"Godly reasons?" Hazel asked knowingly, even as she looked visibly disappointed.

Ophis could only nod.

The somber discussion was interrupted by the arrival of a girl in a dress with her hair in pigtails.

"Hey everyone!" Julia, the servant of Terminus greeted as she walked over.

After receiving a round of greetings in return, the six-year plopped herself down on the picnic blanket and explained what had brought her there.

"So Terminus is pissed with you all. He's demanding you guys pay him a visit."

Fidi snorted at that, even as she dug through the picnic basket for some leftovers to offer the new arrival. "And why would My Lady need to care about what a lesser god thinks?"

"Fidi." Ophis chided, even as she agreed somewhat. She didn't mind paying Terminus a visit, but demanding it of her was kinda disrespectful. She was his superior in the grand scheme of things after all.

"Thanks Fidi." Julia said as she accepted some pie, before returning to the subject of her patron "Well, I guess. But he is pretty pissed, so I think it's a good idea to just drop by."

"Why is he angry?" Hazel asked.

"He sensed you guys showing up and is not happy that Ophis is not bothering, and this is exactly what he said, 'to declare she's there or even just pay me a courtesy and say hello!' Plus he's not happy that you're celebrating St. Patrick's Day which he thinks is a 'decidedly unRoman holiday.'"

"We should just ignore him!" Lily declared. "He's just being a sourpuss."

"Hush, sweetie." Ophis told her spawn soothingly. "He is, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't still be polite and pay him a visit before we leave."

"You're too nice, you know that right?" Nico informed her seriously.

Ophis just pouted. _What's wrong with being nice?_

* * *

It was a couple days after Ophis had visited Hazel at Camp Jupiter and the young protogenos had decided it was time to catch up with her friends at Camp Half-Blood. As such, without any forewarning she materialized in the Dining Pavilion just as dinner ended and most of camp was heading off for, if her what she remembered of the Camp schedule was correct, Archery knockout.

Her friends noticed her immediately. Miranda and Will coming over to greet her, Lacy from Cabin Ten gave her a nod in greeting. Ophis frowned at the lukewarm reception from her old friend but she understood. While she had been close to Cabin Ten in the past, there was quite some bad blood between them now after the Titan War where troops fighting in her name had massacred the bulk of the Cabin. The young protogenos hoped that with time, the children of Aphrodite would forgive her.

"Where's Nico?" Will asked, successfully drawing her from her morbid thoughts and oddly enough earning himself a knowing look from Miranda.

"What?" Will shot back to the daughter of Demeter defensively. "I'm just worried about him. You know how reckless he can be."

"Right~!"

Ophis just blinked in confusion at her two friends' antics.

"Err… Nico is fine." She explained. "We were grocery shopping with Fidi. They asked me to go on ahead while they finished up. He should be here for the singalong tonight."

"That's good to hear." Will said with a sigh.

Miranda just smirked at him.

_What's going on?_

Any thoughts on the matter were interrupted when Leo Valdez barged onto the scene.

"Hey! Are you really the protogenos of Time and Space?" The son of Hephaestus demanded excitedly.

Startled by the suddenness of it all, Ophis could only manage a confused nod.

Will and Miranda were shooting the younger boy warning looks. This seemed to quell the tinkerer for a moment as he backed up a step.

Just then Jason and Piper McLean ran up, looking worried for their friend. Jason froze however when he caught sight of Ophis.

"I remember you." He gasped.

Ophis offered him a bemused smile. "We did fight Porphyrion together recently."

"No from before that."

That caught everyone's attention.

"I'm glad you remember. It means I can thank you for questing for me."

"You're welcome, I guess." The son of Jupiter replied uncertainly. "I don't remember any of that though. All I remember is that we met before."

"Is that so?" Ophis said, a little disappointed. "Well I'm sure your memories will return in time."

"If we've done with _that_ ," Valdez said butting into the conversation. "Can I ask for your help with the Argo II? It's almost done. A couple of weeks tops. But if you can help, somehow, maybe by dilating time or something, then we could finish it even faster or make it even better. So can you help? Please?"

Ophis should probably have been offended by his lack of respect but his enthusiasm was charming. So instead of smiting him where he stood like she knew many of her godly peers would have, she just smiled at him. "The Argo II is your masterwork, I won't detract from that by interfering."

"But you could help me make it so much better." Valdez pressed.

"Leo- Do you mind if I call you that?"

The boy shook his head.

"Leo, if I helped with the construction of the Argo II then it becomes _my_ divine artifact. Do you want that? To have the ship that you've put in months of hard work into suddenly become someone else's?"

"No," Leo admitted.

"Then you see why I can't help you."

Giving a dejected nod, Leo shuffled away with Jason going with him and comforting him as they walked.

"Thank you Lady Ophis." McLean told her, even as she offered her a respectful bow. "Both for all your help back at the Battle of the Wolf House, especially saving Jason's life, and also for being so understanding and not losing your patience with Leo just now."

"I was only doing what is right."

"And I've learned to understand how rare that is among the gods."

Ophis frowned at the truth of that statement. "I'm sad to admit that you're right there, Miss McLean."

"Piper, you can call me Piper."

Ophis nodded.

"Why don't you go join your friends, Piper, I think Leo might need some cheering up."

Piper nodded and with one last respectful bow left to join her friends.

Turning to her own friends, Ophis quirked a brow. "Why were you two so quiet during all that?"

"You were being all goddess-y, it would have been wrong to butt in." Miranda told her with a teasing smirk.

"Goddess-y? Really?"

"Hey! It fits doesn't it?"

"I guess."

"About that, where did you learn to be like that anyways?"

Ophis could only offer her own shrug at Miranda's question. It just came naturally.

"It comes with being who she is." Chiron answered in her stead as he trotted over. "She's undoubtedly picked it up as she settled into her role."

"Pretty much." Ophis agreed even as she gave her half-brother a hug and earning herself a couple friendly pats on the back from the centaur.

"The knockout's about to start soon." Will noted as the two children of Kronos parted. "We best get going."

"Let's." Chiron agreed and the quartet began making their way towards the archery range.

"So Ophis, when did you start giving out quests?"

"What I can't?" Ophis replied with a faux pout, that had Miranda giggling.

Will apparently couldn't tell the difference and backpedaled with a panicked look on his face. "Of course it's okay! I just meant it's a surprise is all."

"You're so easy, Will." Ophis informed him as she giggled at his reaction. Even Chiron couldn't resist a smile.

"You were just teasing?"

"Yup."

"Meanie." Will teased back, but Ophis just pretended she didn't hear.

"Anyways, I don't really have time to waste getting the hang of things. So that's why I've started giving out quests already."

"No time to waste?" Miranda asked with her brow knit together in confusion.

"Will, Miranda," Chiron cut in. "There are things Ophis cannot share. Drop it."

The two demigods exchanged worried looks but obeyed their mentor.

"So if you sent Jason on a quest then you must have known about the Romans beforehand, right?" Miranda asked, changing the topic.

Though from the looks Will and Chiron shot her, they obviously thought this was a poor choice of topic. Ophis didn't know why though.

"I did. Though I agree with the gods that it was a good idea to keep the two Camps separate."

"You are truly wise beyond your years then Ophis." Chiron praised.

Ophis felt ashamed at hearing that. It couldn't be further from the truth.

"I don't deserve that. I keep making mistakes and sometimes people get hurt because of them."

"Everyone makes mistakes." Chiron soothed.

"Tell that to Rhea!" Ophis huffed, giving vent to her building frustration at her stepmother. The Titaness had been a pain ever since she'd first shown up to scold her after Nico's disastrous battle against Phoenix. "She keeps sending me these notes telling me how I get things wrong."

"You're in contact with Lady Rhea?" Chiron asked in surprise. "She's so reclusive that no one is sure where she resides."

"Yes, but I wish I wasn't."

"There now, there's no need for such hostility." The ancient centaur said. "I'm sure Lady Rhea is only trying to be helpful. But if her critique gets too much, just remember that it's normal to make mistakes so long as you learn from them. Isn't that right, Will, Miranda?"

"Yup."

"Right."

"Thanks guys." Ophis told the three genuinely.

* * *

Ophis and Miranda had just seen Will and Chiron off to their respective places as competitor and judge for the Archery knockout and were settling in a nice spot on the hill overlooking the range when Nico and Fidi teleported in.

They were however not alone.

"Mummy!" Lily cried as she slithered out of Fidi's hold and coiled herself affectionately around her mother.

Ophis kissed her daughter in greeting before turning to her handmaiden for an explanation.

"The Young Lady was throwing a tantrum."

"I missed you." Lily added her two cents as she shyly tucked her head against Ophis' neck.

_Calypso was babysitting Lily, wasn't she? Well, I better apologize later._

Cabin Ten, sitting a little aways from Ophis' spot, looked at Lily with longing but didn't approach. Apparently, their distrust for the young protogenos beat out their love of cute things.

_That just means I get to keep Lily's cuteness all to myself._ Ophis thought to herself as she cuddled her spawn.

"How's Will doing?" Nico asked Miranda after scanning the range and failing to spot the son of Apollo and finally taking a seat next to Ophis.

Miranda shot her brother that strange knowing look she was wearing around Will earlier, but which continued to only confuse Ophis. She was nevertheless kind enough to reply, "Probably on his way up, he just got eliminated."

"First round again?"

"Yup."

"Nico, you made it." Will greeted as he walked up the hill towards them.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss seeing you get owned on the range."

"Hey!"

"It's only the truth."

"The truth hurts though, couldn't you sugarcoat it a little?" Will shot back as he took a seat next to the son of Hades.

"Isn't your dad the god of truth?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Then don't you want the unvarnished truth?"

Ophis looked back and forth between the two bantering boys, both of whom were smiling, and finally felt like she had an inkling of what might be going on between them. The confirming nod Miranda gave her just sealed the deal.

_Big Brother Nico and Will, huh?_

Smiling at the prospect of her loner Big Brother finding some happiness. Ophis surveyed her surroundings. All around her, friends and family were happily enjoying their time together.

_This is what I want to protect. And I swear that I'll do everything in my power to do so._

* * *

**And done!**

**This was a long filler chapter, wasn't it?**

**Thankfully this should be one of the last. This story is going to be largely action filled from now onwards. Was this filler was necessary? Not really, at least not in this slice of life format. But I thought why not have a go. Anyways, beyond that it also serves to foreshadow a few things. Some obvious, some not. Plus it also allows me a chance to establish clearly the kind of relationships Ophis has with the other big players on the Olympian side of the Giant War. And lastly, to establish the reason behind why Ophis is so involved in the first place.**

**Anyways hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and let me know what you think.**

**Till next time.**


	11. A sister's fury - The Battle of New Rome

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Chapter 10: A sister's fury - The Battle of New Rome**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

Seated in her office in Ogygia, Ophis was having a meeting with two of her lieutenants.

"The suppliers are saying that the delay shouldn't be for more than a few days." Calypso informed Ophis.

"Ma Gasket, will that affect our production schedule?"

"No," the Hyperborean cyclops replied. "We'll just work extra shifts to make up for any delays."

Ophis nodded, and tried to surreptitiously send Calypso a look to tell her to watch the cyclops to make sure she didn't abuse any of her workers. The nymph nodded, but by the way that the monster's eye narrowed, the two of them hadn't been discreet enough.

Ignoring that, she couldn't do anything about it after all, Ophis asked. "What caused the delay anyways?"

"It appears we're not the only ones ordering onager parts these days. The company had to service a rush job and so fell behind on filling out ours."

_It's the giants. It has to be._ Ophis reasoned, her fists clenching in anger at the thought of her enemies acquiring more weapons.

"It wouldn't be an issue, if you'd let me build a factory on the island." Gasket complained.

"We don't have the space for it, and you know it."

"We would, if you didn't insist on all those parks."

Ophis narrowed her eyes at her Chief Engineer, irritated that she was so blatantly questioning her decisions, but was unable to reply as they were interrupted by the sudden appearance of an Iris Message rainbow.

"Little Sister." Nico said in greeting as his image took shape within the rainbow.

"Hi Nico, is this important? I'm in a meeting."

"Yes, it is." The son of Hades replied with a hard edge to his voice that Ophis had never heard directed at her before.

Gesturing at her subordinates that they would continue their discussion later, she waited for them to exit her office before returning her attention to her Big Brother.

"What's up?" The Great Serpent asked trying to sound chipper.

"Ophis, why is Percy here in New Rome with amnesia? Wasn't the last thing he did before he disappeared doing a quest for you? Explain." He demanded sternly.

The young girl gulped and fought to keep her composure.

"It's part of Hera's plan to unify the Romans and Greeks to fight Gaea. Percy plays a vital part in it, so please don't tell him anything."

Nico's face was still, almost as if it was carved out of stone, but his eyes roiled with emotion. Chief of which, Ophis could see was anger.

"Please don't be angry, Big Brother. I was just do-"

"You were treating Percy like a pawn." The son of Hades cut in coldly. "Just like all the Olympians treat demigods. Who's next Ophis? Will? Miranda? Hazel? _Me_?"

Ophis flinched at that, and lost her fight to keep back her tears. She couldn't help it, Nico had never talked to her like this before.

"I didn't have a choice. Please Big Brother, you have to believe me!" The young protogenos pleaded in between sobs.

The son of Hades' expression softened at the sight of his Little Sister's distress, but anger was still clear in his eyes.

"I need time to think about this." The demigod said at last before cutting the connection.

_He hates me!_ Ophis thought to herself as she curled up into a ball and broke down.

"My Lady!" Calypso cried out in concern, as she rushed into the office and embraced the heartbroken girl.

Even as the nymph tried to comfort her mistress, unbeknownst to either of them Gasket stood in the doorway looking on with a sneer spread across her face.

* * *

A few days later, Ophis was still feeling terrible. Nico was the closest family she had in the whole world, and now it seemed like he hated her. She didn't know how to handle that. She cried and cried, so much that she didn't think she had any tears left but that didn't do anything. She'd tried to IM Nico to apologize and to beg his forgiveness, but he had cut her calls every time before she could even say a word.

Concerned, Fidi, Lily, Calypso and all her loyal subjects had tried to cheer her up. But nothing they did helped. Not cuddling with Lily, nor Fidi making her favorite foods or the thousand and one different things they tried. Knowing that Nico hated her made her feel like there was nothing in this world that could ever make her happy again.

Unable to do anything worthwhile like this, Ophis had retreated to her Waldorf-Astoria suite to seek solace in the many happy memories she'd shared with Nico there. It was while she was sitting there staring into space and reliving in her mind those happier times, when Nico finally contacted her.

"Little Sister." A solemn Nico called out to her.

"Big Brother!?" Ophis shouted in joy at seeing his face. "You called! Thank Mother Chaos!"

Nico opened his mouth to say something, but his sister didn't give him a chance.

"Nico, I'm so, so sorry. I promise that form now onwards I'll treat demigods better. So please don't hate me!"

The son of Hades just looked at her in shock. "Hate you? What made you think I hated you?"

"You were so angry." Ophis said in a sad whisper.

Sighing, Nico ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "Listen up, I don't hate you. I could never hate my Little Sister."

"But you were so angry."

"Yes, I was." Nico nodded. "But that doesn't mean I hate you. Besides, I stopped being upset ages ago. There was no way I could stay mad at my adorable Little Sister, now could I?"

"You're not mad anymore?"

"Nope."

"Hooray!" Ophis cheered as she shot up from her seat on the living room sofa and began dancing around in pure joy. "Nico doesn't hate me! He loves me!"

"Yes, yes, I do. Now calm down, will you?" Nico said with an amused smile on his face. "I have something serious to tell you."

Calming down and retaking her seat, Ophis gave her Big Brother her full attention. A feeling of dread was building in her mind, but she ignored it.

"I know you've probably heard but Thanatos has been captured by Gaea. It's why monsters aren't staying dead." Ophis nodded, she had known that for some time now. "Well, Percy, Hazel and a son of Mars named Frank Zhang has been sent by Mars on a quest to free him."

"I see. Then everything is going according to Hera's plan." Nico's eyes narrowed at that, but Ophis continued quickly before he could raise an objection. "This is something that Percy needs to do."

"I'd expected as much." Nico said with a resigned sigh. "I still don't like this plan that you've cooked up with Hera though."

"I know you don't, but it's the best we could come up with." Ophis told him with a helpless shrug. "So was this all the serious stuff you wanted to talk about?"

Nico shook his head. "There's one more thing actually."

A chill went down Ophis' spine at those words and the dread in her mind threatened to overcome her, but she stubbornly kept a straight face.

_I have to hear him out first, maybe it's not too bad?_

"Thanatos' capture can't be the only reason monsters are returning from Tartarus so quickly. There's gotta be another reason and I think I know what it is."

_I don't like where this is going._

"I think Gaea's captured the Doors of Death." The Doors were the personal gateways used by the death god Thanatos to enter and exit the Underworld and if held by the Earth Mother's forces could serve as a way for her to fast track the return from Tartarus of any of her defeated minions. As such, if it _had_ fallen then it would be of the utmost strategic importance to Gaea and her giants and would be heavily defended.

_If Big Brother is thinking what I think he is..._

Ophis wanted to lie and tell him that he was wrong. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. She'd just betrayed his trust recently and she wasn't about to do it again. Nevertheless, she couldn't help the fear that gripped her being as she replied. "I haven't checked, but it makes sense. What do you mean to do about it though?"

Determination burned in Nico's eyes as he began to outline his plan. "The Doors of Death have both a Underworld and Mortal entrance, both of which must be liberated from Gaea's control. I intend to do my part to do so."

"You don't mean-"

"Yes, I'm going to find the Underworld entrance. As a son of Hades, I'm the best equipped to do it."

"You can't be serious!" Ophis shouted, her fear for his safety getting the better of her composure. "Gaea will have tons of her people guarding the Doors."

"I know, which is why I'm not going to be stupid." Nico said reassuringly. "All I'll do is locate it and then come back. Once we know where it is, we can use your army to liberate it."

"I don't know. It sounds too risky."

"Think I can't do it?" Nico asked with a teasing smile.

"No, I'm just worried."

"Don't be. I'll be careful. Just trust me, okay?"

"Alright." Ophis agreed hesitantly, unable to shake the feeling that she'd made a terrible mistake.

* * *

It had been a couple days since Nico had set off on his search for the Doors of Death within the Underworld, and Ophis had been plagued by a sense of foreboding the whole time. She'd tried to distract herself by working and spending time with Fidi and Lily, and had mostly been successful. Until today, that is. For some reason, ever since she woke up this morning, the feeling that something terrible was going to happen had consumed her, so much so that she wasn't getting anything done on Ogygia and so was talked into taking a break at home by Calypso.

Being in her suite didn't help though and all she'd ended up doing was pacing the living room while Fidi looked on anxiously. She'd been at it for hours when suddenly she stilled.

"Nico." She whispered, as fear gripped her entire being.

Swiping a hand through the air, Ophis began conjuring a portal.

"Mistress, is that Tartarus!?" Fidi gasped in shock as she identified Ophis' destination.

Ophis didn't reply, in fact she barely heard her. All her focus was on getting to where she sensed her Big Brother was in grave danger. She was interrupted however by Fidi pulling her away from her half-formed portal.

"Mistress, you can't! Tartarus is a Greater Protogenoi! Violating his plane like this is dangerous!"

"I don't care!" Ophis shouted back, as she struggled to break free from her handmaiden's unyielding grip. "Big Brother is in danger! I need to save him."

As Ophis and Fidi struggled, an explosion that reeked of dark power suddenly surged out of the portal. Both of them were bowled over and a dark, chilling laugh echoed out from the portal.

Jumping to her feet, Ophis summoned [Reality's Canvas] and leveled it at the portal.

"Tartarus! What have you done to Nico?" She demanded with a glare.

Again the ominous laugh came through the portal.

"Nothing much. Yet." The older primordial said, his voice echoing with an undertone that sounded like the tortured cries of a thousand damned souls. "All I've done so far is draw him into my domain and set my forces to hunting him."

"Release him now or else!"

"Or else what?" Tartarus scoffed. "You can't even open a portal into my domain without me seizing control of it. I'd like to see you try anything more than that."

Ophis ground her teeth in impotent rage. _Chaos damn it! I can't do anything to him right now._

"Nothing to say? Pathetic!"

"I won't be helpless against you for long." Ophis promised.

Tartarus just laughed. "And by the time you figure something out I'll have your precious Brother as my hostage."

Ophis didn't deign to reply and instead with her eyes burning with her power she swiped [Reality's Canvas] through the portal, while screaming in fury.

Tartarus laughed tauntingly as the portal dissipated.

He was one of only a handful of beings in the world who found humor in the situation however as across the world, the earth shook and the skies darkened as time and space warped erratically as its manifestation expressed her rage.

Thankfully for the people of the world, Ophis quickly regained her calm.

_Mindless rage won't get Big Brother back. I need to channel that anger._

Ophis turned to face her faithful servant, her eyes still ablaze with power. Her handmaiden was not alone however. In her arms was a squirming Lily and beside her stood a newly arrived Calypso.

"Fidi, Lily, Calypso, it's time to let Tartarus and Gaea see just what I'm capable of."

"But what about Uncle Nico?" Lily asked worriedly.

"They aren't fools, they _know_ what I'll do if he dies."

"And if they decide to get creative?" Calypso hesitantly asked, clearly playing devil's advocate.

Ophis' anger was overcome by her fear for Nico at the prospect, but the moment passed quickly and she hardened her resolve.

"They'll know not to be so stupid either."

Calypso gave a slow uncertain nod. "Orders?"

"Mobilize my armies. If it's a fight they want? Then it's a fight I'll give them."

* * *

Ophis watched the army she'd mustered to relieve the embattled New Rome with pride. There were a thousand dracanae, hundreds of Telekhines, a squad of about fifty demigods led by Alabaster, dozens of hyperborean Cyclopes, scores of Outsiders, monstrous snakes, dragons and even four drakons. All of which had been equipped in Primordial Electrum armor (even the snakes, dragons and drakons) and weapons, and were backed up by six war skimmers.

The skimmers were the brainchilds of her engineers: house sized bits of rock hovering in the air, sheathed in armor and with a weapon mounted on the top in a turret. Two of those deployed today were mounting catapults, another three were equipped with ballistae and the last had a crystal pulsing with her energy.

_Let's see Polybotes' army stand up against this._ Ophis thought with a vicious gleam in her eye, even as Alabaster came up to her.

"We're ready, My Lady." Her captain informed her with a bow.

Nodding, Ophis turned to address her troops. "My loyal soldiers! Today we remind Gaea, Tartarus and their giant spawn what it means to make an enemy of Ophis. Today we show them our power. Today we destroy their army!"

"Destroy!" Her army roared, greedy for glory against their matron's enemies.

Smiling in approval, Ophis swiped her hand to open a portal to the hidden valley of New Rome and the battle raging there.

It wasn't going well for the Romans. The Twelfth Legion was arrayed on the Field of Mars, trying to protect the city. Scorpions fired into the ranks of the Earthborn. Hannibal, the Roman's pet war elephant, ploughed down monsters right and left, but the defenders were badly outnumbered.

On her pegasus, their lone remaining Praetor flew around Polybotes, trying to keep him occupied. The Lares - the spectral guardians of Camp Jupiter - had formed shimmering purple lines against a mob of black, vaporous shades in ancient armor. Veteran demigods from the city had joined the battle, and were pushing their shield wall against an onslaught of wild centaurs. Giant eagles circled the battlefield, doing aerial combat with two snake-haired ladies in green vests – Stheno and Euryale, the Gorgon sisters resurrected by Gaea to serve as her servants.

The legion itself was taking the brunt of the attack, but their formation was breaking. Each cohort becoming an island in a sea of enemies. All while an imposing siege tower shot glowing green cannonballs into the city, blasting craters in the forum and reducing buildings to ruins.

_Looks like we're just in time._

Ophis' portal opened right behind the rearmost formations of the giant's army and so they had absolutely no notice as her troops swarmed out of the rift and began cutting them to pieces. In tightly ordered phalanxes her dracanae advanced inexorably through the startled ranks of Polybotes' rearguard, slaying hundreds of wild centaurs, Laistrygonian ogres and other monsters. Their vulnerable flanks were guarded by squads of hyperborean Cyclopes, Outsiders, and monstrous snakes which easily dealt with any counterattacks. Her dragons took to the sky and engaged the two Gorgons, reinforcing the beleaguered giant eagles.

Ahead of the main body, teams of her demigods sought out enemy commanders and took them out, destabilizing the enemy chain of command and adding to their confusion. They were aided in this task by the immense drakons slithering through the enemy ranks, their near invulnerable scales allowing them to shake off anything the enemy could throw at them while spewing toxic miasma or flames into their midst.

From the rear, the war skimmers rained deadly artillery onto the enemies, their first volley of flaming rocks and explosive ballista bolts having destroyed the enemy siege tower. The lone crystal skimmer firing bolts of greyscale lightning that healed any of her injured soldiers.

"Catching the enemy in between us and the Romans was a good plan." Fidi commented. Riding atop her handmaiden's serpentine true form, Ophis nodded even as she gave in to her still cold fury and fired off a massive energy beam that decimated an entire flank of Polybotes' army and leveled one of the hills that surrounded the valley.

She was preparing another shot when suddenly an explosion ripped through one of her dracanae phalanxes.

Spinning around, Ophis was shocked to see that two of her ballistae skimmers had been taken over by Ma Gasket's cyclopes and had started firing on her own troops. Caught completely off guard and unable to defend themselves, hundreds of her loyal warriors died to the unexpected barrage.

Fortunately, Alabaster acted quickly and cast a spell to sow confusion over one of the captured ballistae skimmers causing its shots to go wild. At the same time, the Outsiders at the rear of her army teleported onto the captured skimmers, engaging the traitors and preventing them from firing.

There was fighting on the other skimmers as well as the Telekhines originally manning them fought to retain control. The dog-faced sea demons were fighting hard but the Cyclopes were gaining the upper hand though that changed as more Outsiders teleported in to assist them.

" **Traitors! Die!** " Ophis hissed loudly enough to be heard across the battlefield, as she seized control of the crystal on the last skimmer. Immediately, it's black and white lightning redirected its focus onto the traitorous cyclopes. Instead of healing them as it had done before, this time a mere touch of the magical electricity reduced them to nothingness.

"Fidi, take charge here!" Ophis commanded. "I have to return to Ogygia and see how deep this betrayal runs."

"As you command, Mistress."

"Be wary of the remaining cyclopes," Ophis told her gesturing to the handful of surviving one eyed giants that were still fighting for them. "But remember that not all of them appear to be traitors."

Without waiting for a reply, Ophis teleported to Ogygia.

* * *

She rematerialized in the air over the construction site that made up the bulk of the island only to discover that it had been transformed into a war zone. Equipment everywhere was smashed and the whole area was littered by innumerable piles of gold dust. Clearly the traitors had gone on a rampage here as well.

Fortunately, the situation appeared to have been contained. While there was still fighting going on, it seemed that an army of dracaena had poured in from the city at the first sign of trouble. In fact, whole columns of the snake women were still slithering into the construction site by the minute and reinforcing the swarm of their sisters who under the leadership of Hux and Calypso had surrounded the enemy: Ma Gasket and her children.

Dropping down from the sky like a black and white meteor, Ophis crashed into the earth in an explosion right at the edge of the encirclement. Her sudden appearance had flattened three cyclopes and she walked out of their golden remains.

All around, combat stopped, as the cyclopes flinched and backed away from her while her loyal soldiers cheered. She ignored it all, and leveled a paint peeling glare at Gasket.

"Gasket, why?" Ophis asked, her voice steady even as the ichor in her veins boiled with her rage. "Why have you chosen to betray me after all the generosity that I've showed you?"

"Generosity?" The defiant cyclops scoffed. "That was just one of many signs of weakness, little girl. You're only playing at power. In truth, you're nothing but a weak little nobody."

Ophis cocked an eyebrow at that and instantly a pillar of black and white flames erupted to Gasket's right and incinerated a dozen of her sons. They screamed in agony as the Great Serpent's conjured inferno kept them trapped and burnt them into nothing.

To the cyclopes matriarch's credit, she didn't so much as flinch at the display. Instead, she laughed.

"Is that supposed to scare me, little wyrm? Even if you kill us, the Earth Mother will just revive us."

"Ah! So that explains why you and your ilk agreed to carry out such a foolish suicide mission." Ophis said with a nod. "Unfortunately, Gasket, it seems you've been misinformed. Gaea will not be be reviving you or your sons."

"And how do you mean to stop her?"

Ophis' form shimmered and her face transformed to that her serpentine true form as she smiled, allowing for a predatory look that her innocent human face could not properly convey.

"I already have." The incensed protogenos explained, even as her form returned to normal. "You see, Gasket, I haven't just been killing your children. Using my powers of spatial manipulation I've been collecting their essences as they die and sealing them away in the folds of spacetime. That is to say, within my coils. There outside of Tartarus and its healing powers on monsters, they'll never reform not unless I choose to allow it."

Gasket paled at the revelation.

"Release them! Release them at once! Or Lady Gaea will make you pay!"

Ophis laughed. Not her normal innocent laugh but a chilling, hysterical laugh completely unfitting of her child like appearance.

"I'd honestly like to see my sister try." Ophis informed the cyclops. "I have a score to settle with her."

Gasket looked like she wanted to say something, but Ophis had wasted enough time on the fool. With a dismissive wave of her, she and all the remaining traitorous cyclopes exploded into gold dust.

Eying the remains with satisfaction, Ophis gave Hux and Calypso a nod before teleporting back to Camp Jupiter. The two could handle the situation until she returned, there was still a battle to oversee.

* * *

She reappeared atop Fidi's head just as her handmaiden reared up to breath a beam of energy out of her mouth and rake a chaotic mob of assorted monsters as they fled the battlefield. Taking a quick glance over the area, Ophis was pleased to note that the enemy was in full retreat. Apparently in her absence, the Amazons had showed up and joined the fight against Polybotes.

Speaking of the giant, she spotted him at the Pomerian Line surrounded by legionaries and fighting Percy one on one. As she looked on, she saw Percy jump up, vaulting off the giant's knee, and drive Riptide straight through one of the metal mouths on Polybotes's breastplate, sinking the Celestial bronze hilt-deep in his chest. The giant stumbled backwards, tripping over Terminus' wrecked pedestal and crashing to the ground. While he was trying to get up, clawing at the sword in his chest, Percy hefted the head of the statue and smashed the god's head as hard as he could into Polybotes's nose. Immediately, the giant dissolved, crumbling into a steaming heap of seaweed, reptile skin and poisonous muck.

The Romans began to cheer their victory, but Ophis had other priorities. Turning her attention instead to the still fleeing enemy, a grim smile spread across her face.

"You're not getting away that easily." Ophis hissed under her breath as she focused her will and created a black hole right in the center of the disorganized servants of Gaea. The different monsters tried everything in their power to escape the powerful pull of the singularity but there was no escape and one by one they were sucked in and crashed. All while Ophis looked on in satisfaction.

The roar of the black hole's suction had easily drowned out the cheers of the Romans but even as Ophis dismissed her weapon, she was greeted with silence. Looking to her allies, she saw them looking at her with horrified awe and fearful respect. Under normal circumstances, she would have shied away from such looks but right now she reveled in them.

The Romans' praetor, Reyna, landed nearby on her pegasus and Ophis gave the mortal a nod in acknowledgement even as she telepathically commanded her troops to gather up for the trip back to Ogygia.

"Lady Ophis, you have our sincerest thanks for your help in the defense of New Rome today."

Ophis just gave her a dismissive wave in reply. "No need. We had a common enemy, no more, no less. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other battles to fight."

The hispanic girl was clearly thrown by Ophis' out of character behavior, but held her tongue. The young protogenos was grateful, in her current mood she didn't trust herself to not do something she'd regret later if the mortal questioned her.

"Apologies, Praetor." Fidi stepped in. "My Lady is merely upset about certain things."

"What could possibly upset Lady Ophis _this_ badly?"

Fidi opened her mouth to reply but Ophis cut her off. "That is none of your business, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, daughter of Bellona and praetor of Camp Jupiter. You should be worrying instead about making sure Hera's peace plan succeeds. Too many have died already for it to fail."

Reyna nodded.

In the distance, Ophis saw Percy force his way through the crowd and head her way, but she was in no mood to catch up with friends. She had a war to fight.

Turning to her troops, she saw they had done as she'd ordered and were ready for departure. So without another word, she teleported all of them home but not before directly one last telepathic message.

This time directed to the very earth below them.

_Sister Gaea, I hope you like this first taste of my fury. I assure you however that this is only the beginning._

* * *

**And another chapter is finished! Hooray!**

**I actually enjoyed writing this chapter a great deal. Especially the battle at the end there, it was fun. Another thing I enjoyed was writing cruel Ophis, it was refreshing.**

**Now as to why she suddenly seemed so out of character, something even she noted. Please recall who her father is. She is a child of Kronos and is most definitely capable of being like this when the need calls for it. Considering Nico has been taken and she's angry enough to destroy the world at the moment, she is tapping into that dark side she inherited from her father even if she's showing great restraint while doing so.**

**Ok, that's all that needs to be covered this time around I think. So till next time peace, out.**


	12. A stern warning

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Chapter 11: A stern warning**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

It was four in the morning, the weather was miserable and the Argo II was sailing through rough seas. Percy stood with Annabeth at the forward rail of the ship while he told her about his dream earlier of the twin giants Otis and Ephialtes, the mysterious Her Ladyship they mentioned and their plans for him and his friends when they finally reached Rome. And most worryingly, how he was certain that Annabeth would have to face that mysterious monster. Alone.

Percy wasn't sure how she'd take the news. Her reaction was even more troubling than he anticipated: she didn't seem surprised.

She peered into the fog. "Percy, you have to promise me something. Don't tell the others about this dream."

"Don't what? Annabeth—"

"What you saw was about the Mark of Athena," she said. "It won't help the others to know. It'll only make them worry, and they have enough worries already with the world tearing itself apart."

"I know those earthquakes are worrying," Percy offered. "But that's just caused by Gaea waking up isn't it? We knew something like that might happen. It'll stop once we beat her."

"That's not the only thing we need to worry about though is it? What about all those meteor strikes in recent days?" Annabeth countered with a tired sigh.

"Can't it the unexpected asteroid cluster that the mortal scientists are saying it is?" Percy said, looking away and refusing to meet his girlfriend's eyes.

"We both know that's not the case, Percy." Annabeth hissed. "It's Ophis. We've all seen the videos of those 'meteor strikes'. The Mist might fool the mortals, but we all saw the truth. Those craters were created by black and white spheres consuming a chunk of the earth. Black and white, Percy. Ophis' colors."

Percy knew Annabeth was right, but he couldn't accept it.

"Ophis wouldn't do something like that." He insisted. "She wouldn't be so destructive."

"Nico's been taken, Percy! You think Ophis would take it lying down?"

"I know you're right." Percy admitted, still looking away. "I just really don't want to accept that sweet little Ophis could do something so petty as taking out her power on the world, you know?"

"I know what you mean, but we can't deny facts."

For a while, they just stood there looking out at their foggy surroundings thinking on the sorry state they'd found themselves in. Drawing comfort that, for now at least, they were together. After their long separation while Percy was being Hera's pawn in her failed scheme to unite the two Camps, the couple had come to appreciate any chance for them to spend time together.

The mood however was broken when a chill went down Percy's spine. "Stop. We have to stop."

"Why?" Annabeth asked.

"Leo, stop!" he yelled.

His warning proved too late. Another boat appeared suddenly out of the fog and rammed them head-on. In that split second, Percy registered random details: another trireme; black sails painted with a gorgon's head; hulking warriors, not quite human, crowded at the front of the boat in Greek armor, swords and spears ready; and a bronze ram at water level, slamming against the hull of the Argo II.

What followed was a farce of a battle as the enemy ship's horde of dolphin-men used their overwhelming numbers to easily overpower Percy and his friends. Percy had tried to summon the waves, hoping he could push the ships apart or even capsize the enemy vessel, but nothing happened. It almost felt like something was pushing against his will, wresting the sea from his control. At least the warriors didn't seem interested in killing them immediately, instead corralling them onto the top deck to present them to their leader.

_Damn it! We let our guard down._ Percy cursed, as he tightened his grip on Riptide and tried to think of a way out of this mess.

The aforementioned leader of their attackers, unlike his men appeared to be fully human. He was dressed in Greek combat armor—sandals, kilt, and greaves, a breastplate decorated with elaborate sea monster designs—and everything he wore was gold. Even his sword, a Greek blade like Riptide, was gold instead of bronze.

_The golden boy_ , Percy thought, remembering the dream and how the giant Ephialtes had mentioned they'd need to get pass him in order to make it to Rome. _They'll have to get past the golden boy._

What really made Percy nervous was the guy's helmet. His visor was a full face mask fashioned like a gorgon's head—curved tusks, horrible features pinched into a snarl, and golden snake hair curling around the face. Percy had met gorgons before. The likeness was good—a little too good for his taste.

"Who are you?" Percy demanded. "What do you want?"

The golden warrior chuckled. With a flick of his blade, faster than Percy could follow, he smacked Riptide out of Percy's hand and sent it flying into the sea. Percy was breathless with shock. He'd never been disarmed so easily.

"Hello, brother." The golden warrior's voice was rich and velvety, with an exotic accent—Middle Eastern, maybe—that seemed vaguely familiar. "Always happy to rob a fellow son of Poseidon. I am Chrysaor, the Golden Sword. As-"

The golden man never got a chance to finish whatever he was saying as the world suddenly became black and white.

_Ophis!_ Percy realized with both hope and though he hated to admit it, dread.

It seemed he wasn't the only one to realize who was about to make an appearance as the dolphin warriors began to panic.

"She won't dare! We have her brother!" Chrysaor shouted at his men trying desperately to calm them down. Though from how panicked he looked, he was trying to convince himself as much as he was them. In either case, it didn't work and all of them looked a hair's breadth from pissing themselves.

"That hasn't stopped me so far." A chilling child's voice echoed from all around them.

That seemed to be the breaking point for the dolphin warriors and they turned to flee back to their boat, only to start spontaneously bursting into black and white flames. Percy didn't think it could be possible but as he watched them writhing in agony as Ophis' fire dragged out their deaths by burning them slowly, he felt pity for the enemies that only moments before was threatening his life.

That paled in comparison however to Chrysaor's reaction as he looked on as his men met their torturous ends and collapsed to his knees in what must have been horror.

"Get up!" Ophis demanded as she materialized directly in front of the golden man.

"Please, Great One spare me!" The man that had earlier been brimming with pride pleaded.

"I said **get up**!" Ophis commanded and Chrysaor shot to his feet in a blink of an eye.

"Please! I'll do anything. Just spare me!" The broken man continued to beg for mercy.

"Oh don't worry, Chrysaor. You won't die. I have a much more interesting fate for you." The daughter of Kronos told the hapless man while sporting a menacing smile.

_Is this really Ophis?_ Percy couldn't help but think as he broke out in a cold sweat. The girl standing there passing judgement over Chrysaor was nothing like the sweet little girl which he knew to be Nico's beloved Little Sister. Sure, he knew that she was a greater protogenoi and thus a being of immense power but he'd never really _understood_ what that meant. Until now.

"Mercy!" Chrysaor continued to beg but Ophis ignored him. With a snap of her fingers, she summoned one of those new monsters that she'd created, an Outsider. It proceeded to loom over him before with one lighting quick swipe of its clawed hands, it disemboweled him.

Percy had to fight to keep from vomiting up his dinner at the sight and a quick glance told him that the rest of his friends were feeling equally horrified. Piper was throwing up even.

Chrysaor collapsed to knees again, clutching his intestines and looking at them in shock. That lasted only a moment however before he was suddenly standing up again, looking whole and unhurt.

"What?"

The demigod of Poseidon was in too much shock to be sure who asked that question. It might have been Chrysaor, himself, his friends or all of them. Whatever the case, much to their dismay they didn't need to wait long to get their answer.

"Surprised?" Ophis asked, that terrifying smile still on her face. "Don't be. I did say I wouldn't kill you, didn't I? Instead, I'll just trap you in a time loop with my servant and have him experiment on ways to do so. Every time you die, it will reset and the Outsider will get a chance to try something more creative."

Chrysaor, everyone really, shot her a horrified look. Unfortunately for the golden warrior, the Outsider seemed to take offense at him looking at its mistress and proceeded with its latest execution method and decapitated him with another swipe of its claws.

Again, the time loop reset and Chrysaor was restored to life but thankfully Ophis decided it was time to move on and the condemned man and his executioner disappeared. Turning to her, Percy saw that she now had a snow globe in a her hands, one in which he could see two tiny figures: one golden and another a serpentine humanoid. He was thankful that he could not make out any details before the Great Serpent put it into a pocket of her dress.

"Okay, she's been chilling with Hades for way too long." Percy muttered. Clearly she'd picked up some of the Lord of the Underworld's sadism.

"Hey!" Hazel protested weakly. "She's just upset about Nico."

Everyone except Frank ignored her. They were too transfixed by the look of demented joy Ophis was wearing at torturing her enemy. Though even the son of Mars was only half-hearted in his attempt to agree with his girlfriend.

"Now that the trash has been dealt with," Ophis said directing her attention at the demigods. "I can get to the real reason why I came here today."

All of them, even Hazel who knew her best, stiffened at being under her scrutiny. The look on her face was incredibly unnerving. Not only did she still have the same sick smile she wore as she set up Chrysaor's torture but her eyes were swirling with raw anger. As if that wasn't bad enough already, she was also cloaked in an aura of visible power that writhed madly.

"So guys, you'll be in Rome soon huh?" She asked, almost casually. Well, casual if you didn't take into account how her fists clenched as she spoke.

"Lady Ophis, we assure you that we'll rescue Nico as soon as we arrive." Annabeth said quickly, guessing what the clearly unstable primordial was driving at.

"Of course you will." Ophis replied with a nod. "After all, you'll not like what will happen if you fail."

Everyone gulped nervously at the hanging threat.

"And what exactly will happen if we fail?" Leo bravely asked what all of them were too afraid to say.

Ophis' eyes narrowed and for a moment, her face seemed snake-like, with fangs and a forked tongue that darted from her scaled lips. Percy was about to shout at everyone to close their eyes, sure that she was going to lose control and transform into her true form but before he could say a word, her features settled back into a mask of false calm.

"Why, I'll go on a rampage until my anger is sated."

Hazel tried to say something, but Ophis just glared her into silence before continuing. "I honestly don't know if there'll be a planet left when I'm done."

"Oh." Leo said with another nervous gulp. Percy could empathize. He'd heard a lot of his enemies make great boasts about destroying the world, but it never got easier. Not when you knew there was a very real possibility they could carry through on the threat. It was terrifying.

This time was no different. Even if he didn't think, or at least hoped, that Ophis as powerful as she was had that the ability to do what she said.

"So don't fail." Ophis told the demigods as she turned and began walking away. Gesturing to Chrysaor's boat, she added. "Oh and you might want to sacrifice that boat to Bacchus, you'll need his help in Rome."

With that final piece of advice, she disappeared.

As one, the crew of the Argo II breathed a sigh of relief.

"Nico's Little Sister is the scariest person I've ever met, I think." Percy admitted.

No one disagreed.

* * *

**And done!**

**I really do love writing scary Ophis. She's so fun to write. Well, hope you guys like her as much as I do.**

**Hmm… Nothing to talk about this time around… So...**

**Please review and see you next time.**


	13. The Colosseum - The Reunion Circus

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Chapter 12: The Colosseum - The Reunion Circus**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

On the highest tower of Ogygia, there sat a pavilion with a 360 degree view of the whole island. This was Ophis' newly constructed war room. At the centre of the pavilion sat a mobile of the Earth upon which there were multiple pulsing lights, some red, others blue and a handful a mix of black and white. These indicated the positions of the various forces engaged in the war against Gaea.

Milling around the pavilion were dozens of dracaena, telekhines and a couple of demigods working on tablets, occasionally looking up to refer to the globe. As they did so, screens popped up above the various lights with details about the formations there that they reviewed and updated.

Flanked by Alabaster, Fidi and Calypso, Ophis sat on a throne on top of a raised platform and surveyed the scene.

"Haven't we identified a new target yet?" Ophis asked Alabaster impatiently.

The demigod shifted uneasily, but replied in a calm voice. "It appears Gaea has learned her lesson, my Lady. She's spreading her forces out more now, making it difficult to pinpoint worthwhile targets."

"I don't care if they are worthwhile." Ophis hissed, her eyes becoming serpentine. "So long as I get to hurt her."

Alabaster gave a hesitant nod and glanced at one of the demigods working on the globe. The girl nervously shook her head, and shot a fearful look at Ophis.

The Great Serpent felt her anger rising. It had been hours since she'd last struck out at Gaea and she was itching to do something.

Perhaps sensing her mood, Calypso put a restraining hand on her liege's shoulder. "My Lady, patience. Our men are working as quickly as possible. Just give them time."

"I know that." Ophis hissed in frustration. "But we need to keep hurting Gaea, even Rhea agrees with me on that."

"I'm sure Lady Rhea didn't mean for you to be reckless while doing so." Calypso said before raising a skeptical brow, "And when have you ever listened to her anyway?"

"That's the point. We never agree on anything but now we do. Besides it's yielded results hasn't it?"

Calypso nodded. "Yes, it's secured their agreement to release Nico, but we should still be cautious. We do not want them to back out of the deal."

_I'd like to see them try._ Ophis thought to herself even as her eyes narrowed and she clenched her fists. _Though she's right and I shouldn't risk it. I only need to be patient a little longer._

Taking a calming breath, Ophis turned to Alabaster. "What's the progress of the Seven? Are they on track for Nico's release?"

Before he could reply however, Fidi beat him to the punch. "They have arrived in Rome."

Alabaster shot her handmaiden an annoyed look, before he picked up the explanation. "It appears they have split up to follow different targets. Annabeth Chase-"

"I don't care about the others, who went to confront Otis and Ephialtes?"

"Percy Jackson, Jason Grace and Piper McLean."

Ophis nodded. They were some of the most powerful, skilled and blessed of the Seven. If she had to trust any mortals with making sure Nico was safe, then it would them. Though the thought of having to go through such lengths as letting them fight their way to the twin giants' lair just to conduct a prisoner exchange made her furious.

After Gaea had finally capitulated and agreed to free Nico in exchange for Ophis swearing on the Styx to stop bombarding her, she had then added the stipulation that she would only release her Big Brother in Rome and to the Seven. Ophis knew full well that this was so the Earth Mother could use her Big Brother to further her plans in some way and to spite Ophis. Sadly it was working on both fronts, even if the younger protogenos had used her recalcitrance to argue that she be allowed to continue her bombardment till she secured Nico. That said, it seemed that even that little victory was being thwarted by her dispersing her troops.

That led to the situation she was in now: helpless to do anything meaningful except stew in her anger.

As the minutes ticked by, Ophis grew impatient once more. She knew she could call up images to track their progress but she resisted the temptation. If she saw them getting delayed she might not be able to resist the urge to intervene, thus invalidating her oath to Gaea and more importantly the deal to ensure Nico's release.

"They still haven't rescued Nico?"

The war room's other occupants all shifted nervously at her question.

"What did I just say, My Lady. Patience." Calypso told her soothingly. "It will take time to find Nico and to fight pass his jailers."

Ophis nodded and glared at the model of the Argo II that was hovering over a bright red light indicating Rome's position on the globe. Unable to resist any longer, she called up a trio of displays to show the Seven's progress. One showed Annabeth facing off against Arachne, another displayed a scene of Leo, Hazel and Frank trapped in Archimedes' workshop, and lastly one of Piper, Jason and Percy making it into Otis and Ephialtes' lair below the Colosseum.

Dismissing the first two screens, she focused her attention on the last one.

The two giants had set up a dais with two oversized praetor chairs and standing between them was a bronze jar big enough to hold a person.

Ophis' eyes zeroed in on the sight. _Nico's in there_.

She was so focused on glaring at the jar that she barely paid attention as Ephialtes made his appearance. The purple haired giant descended to the dais on a platform. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt with garish print made up of dying heroes, horrible tortures, and lions eating slaves in the Colosseum. The giant's hair was braided with gold and silver coins. He had a ten-foot spear strapped to his back, and was wearing bright white jeans and leather sandals on the curved snakeheads that served as his feet.

He exchanged some banter with Percy, before Otis made an appearance. The extravagant giant's choice of attire was so jarring that it was even able to shock Ophis enough to drag her attention away from her Big Brother's prison.

He was dressed like a ballet dancer in a skin-tight baby-blue leotard that unfortunately left little to the imagination. The toes of his massive dancing slippers were cut away so that his snakes could protrude. The outfit was completed by a diamond tiara that was nestled in his green, firecracker-braided hair.

More banter was exchanged, and Ophis felt the urge to strangle Percy for his tendency to trash talk rise. Thankfully for him, before she could decide to carry out her urge, Ephialtes gave Otis the go ahead to free Nico.

The green haired crime against fashion knocked the jar over, popping the lid and allowing Nico to spill out.

"Nico!" Ophis cried out as the sight of his deathly pale face and too-skinny frame made her heart skip a beat in worry even as she gathered her power to travel to his side.

* * *

Ophis rematerialized directly next to her too still brother and promptly pulled him into her arms even as she poured her power into him, healing him.

"Ophis?" Percy said tentatively as he came up to her, eying her cautiously while gripping Riptide tightly. Jason and Piper were one step behind him and eying her with the same wariness.

_They're looking at me like I'm a bomb waiting to explode._

"T-there, y-your brother is free." Ephialtes stammered out as he inched away from her.

Also cowering, Otis continued. "N-Now, g-get lost."

Ophis ignored all of them. Her full attention was on her Big Brother, who was stirring.

His eyes opened and much to her joy, immediately latched onto Ophis.

"I knew you'd rescue me, Little Sister." He said in a voice raspy from disuse.

Smiling at hearing his voice again, Ophis hugged him tight.

"Hush, Big Brother. Rest and get better." She told him as she teleported him away to safety.

Closing her eyes, she reached out with her powers to check on him. Once she was sure he was safely in the care of Fidi back on Ogygia, she stood and levelled a glare at the Giants.

Reading her intentions, Ephialtes tried to argue his way out of what was to come. "The deal-"

"Said nothing about what I'd do _after_ Nico was released." Ophis informed the two giants sternly. "Besides, I think it only fair for me to return the favor for all the hospitality you showed my Big Brother. Don't you?"

"No! That's… err... not necessary." Ephialtes, still hanging on to his bravado, replied.

His twin however had far less dignity and was openly begging. "Please! Have mercy!"

Ophis ignored them both, instead choosing to send a pulse of her power roaring through the hypogeum that instantly destroyed everything. The elaborate machinery corroded into nothing in an instant, the water evaporated and the caged wild animals and monsters were disintegrated. Everything that the twin giants had spent so much effort creating was reduced to rubble.

"Olympus!" Gasped one of the demigods, but Ophis paid them no mind. Her full attention was on Ephialtes and Otis.

Both of them were heaving relieved sighs.

"At least, she didn't torture or mutilate us."

"Not yet, Otis. Not yet." Ophis replied, her voice as cold as the freezing arctic wind. "This time though I'll settle for just having you die for me."

With those ominous words, she promptly teleported everyone to the arena area of the Colosseum. The scene that greeted them however was not the modern ruin that the ages had reduced the venerable amphitheater to, but a recreation of the venue when it was at the height of its glory. The arena had a proper floor again, the bleachers had repaired themselves and were gleaming white. A giant red-and-gold canopy extended overhead to provide shade from the afternoon sun. The emperor's box was draped with silk, flanked by banners and golden eagles. The stands were filled with thousands of shimmering purple ghosts, the Lares of Rome, who sat in respectful silence.

Ophis and Piper rematerialized in the Emperor's booth where Bacchus was waiting for them.

"I'm here, as promised." The god, dressed in purple robes and golden laurels, greeted.

Ophis just nodded and turned her attention to the arena where she'd deposited the giants, Jason and Percy.

"You should be pleased, Bacchus. I'm certain the show will meet your standards."

"Show? What show?" Piper said worriedly, as she backed away from the two other occupants of the box. "What's going on? What is Lord Bacchus doing here?"

"Sit down, Piper." Ophis commanded and like a puppet, the daughter of Aphrodite obeyed. "As for your questions? Bacchus is there to ensure the Giants die once Percy and Jason defeat them."

"If you want to kill the giants then why am I here and not in the arena?"

"Insurance."

"She means you're her hostage." Bacchus chimed in 'helpfully'. Ophis sent him a warning glare but did not deny it.

Meanwhile in the arena below, it appeared that the giants and demigods were still too confused by what was going on to get started.

Well, the demigods were at least. Ephialtes and Otis, were too busy desperately looking for an escape route.

_You won't be finding any._ Ophis thought to herself with a vicious smirk. _I've sealed every possible exit with spatial distortions._

"Percy?" Jason's whisper echoing within the box, without him knowing.

"Yeah?"

"Does it weird you out that even the Giants are terrified by Lady Ophis?"

"Definitely."

The aforementioned primordial pouted at that. She didn't like the fact that her friends seemed to think she was weird.

Perhaps reacting to her expression, Bacchus strode to the edge of the box and roared down at the four in the arena. "Oi, you lot! Hurry up and start fighting, before the little miss loses her patience."

Emphasizing his point, the crowd jeered and shouted for blood. "Fight! Fight!"

Realizing that there was no escape, Ephialtes and Otis exchanged a nod before spinning around to attack. Otis reached down and ripped a massive chunk of the arena floor out and tossed it at the demigods forcing them to jump to the side in a desperate evasion. Ephialtes followed this up by throwing his spear like a javelin at Jason who barely dove out of the way only to be sent flying into a wall by a punch from his opponent who had closed the distance while his projectile was in flight.

"The giants are making a surprisingly good opening." Bacchus noted even as he took a sip from a can of Diet Pepsi he'd conjured.

Ophis nodded in agreement, while Piper just paled at seeing her boyfriend slam hard into the arena wall.

Percy rushed to help his friend but was cut off when Otis spinning like a top, or more accurately a ballerina, slammed into him and sent him flying as well.

"They've underestimated Ephialtes and Otis." Ophis concluded. "They didn't think they could move as fast as they are."

"We've got to help them!" Piper begged.

Ophis and Bacchus both shot her unimpressed looks.

"If they cannot deal with these two weaklings then they stand no chance against the rest of the Gigantes." Bacchus informed her. "No, they will fight them alone and prove their worth. Or die trying."

"Ophis! You can't seriously think that."

She didn't. If Percy and Jason were close to dying, she'd intervene and disable the twins to let Piper injure them while Bacchus finished them off. That said, she agreed with the wine god's assessment of the two needing to prove themselves against the twin giants.

Below, the battle continued. And Jason had managed to prevent Ephialtes from stabbing him with his spear by sending a lightning bolt at him. The giant displayed his exceptional reflexes however, by easily spinning out of the way of the electrical lance. The son of Jupiter took this opening and flew into the air, clearly thinking that the added mobility of flight would give him the advantage he needed.

Ephialtes just smirked and tossed his spear at him. Jason easily dodged it but was almost caught off guard when the spear swerved around in midair and came back at him. Soon the demigod found himself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse as the spear hunted him through the air while its master directed it from the ground, his hands moving like a conductor at an orchestral performance.

In contrast, the land bound son of Poseidon was having an easier time of his fight. Despite being sent flying by his opponent, he'd managed to recover enough midflight that he rolled with his landing and got to his feet within seconds. This gave him the time to read his opponent as Otis closed once more while spinning like a top. As the ballerina giant came in for his attack, Percy dodged to the side while aiming a slash just right. The well timed attack scored a deep cut along the leg Otis was using to stay upright and he fell to the ground in a graceless tumble.

Not letting the giant recover, Percy pounced on him and began hacking and slashing at him. He was a Gigantes however and his giant regeneration meant that even the most deadly of the demigod's strikes were only temporary. Thus working through his pain with a roar, he swept Percy off him. Again Percy rolled to his feet and faced Otis as the giant stumbled to his.

"That Greek is outshining Jupiter's son by a mile." Bacchus noted, a displeased look on his face.

Piper probably would have said something, either in defense of her boyfriend or about Bacchus' unfair hatred of Greeks, but she was too busy looking on in trepidation as Jason continued his dance with Ephialtes' magic spear. Which had progressively gotten harder as the giant used his powers to clone his weapon, forcing the son of Jupiter to deal with an ever increasing number of them. To his credit, the former praetor of New Rome was maneuvering through the air like a pro and despite the odd close shave was always one step ahead.

"Percy is strong, besides Otis is weak." Ophis replied to the Roman god's barb.

The two combatants in question meanwhile were glaring at each other as they recovered from their last exchange. The moment was broken when the giant took a few jumping steps forward before taking a big jump using one foot while the other leg was thrown into the air.

"Oh! A Grande Jeté!" Bacchus said in surprise. "I'm surprised Otis could actually manage that."

The giant seemed to aim to land directly on top of Percy, but as he came in for a landing there was a sudden rumbling in the whole arena before a torrent of water suddenly burst out of the floor and slammed into him and sent him sprawling.

"Impressive. He called on the water in the old pipes used to flood the arena for naumachiae." Bacchus complemented sounding genuinely impressed. "He truly is strong."

"Told you so."

Otis tried to jump to his feet from the undignified sprawl the jet of water had left him in, but was hampered as the pool of water around him transformed into ropes that restrained him.

"Bacchus." Ophis barked.

"Yes, yes. I'm going." The god said even as he dematerialized.

He rematerialized over the restrained giant and raised a staff of giant fennel covered with ivy vines and leaves and topped with a pinecone. This was his symbol of power, a thyrsus.

The crowd jeered and hollered and pointed their thumbs down at the sight. Bacchus offered them a smile even as he smacked Otis's head with his pinecone staff, and the bound giant disintegrated completely.

The crowd went wild and the god offered them a bow, before he teleported back into his seat in the emperor's box.

"You know, Aunt Ophis, this fight is entertaining enough that I would have helped even if you hadn't forced me to."

"She forced you?" Piper gasped throwing a wide eyed look at the two divinities she shared a box with.

Bacchus shrugged. "We made a deal."

Piper shot Ophis a worried look.

The Great Serpent just shrugged. "It's nothing too serious. I just promised to help him the next time he has a disagreement with Jupiter."

The daughter of love just nodded uncertainly and returned her attention to the battle which was clearly entering its climax. Seeing as his opponent had been dealt with, Percy immediately ran towards Ephialtes. The giant seeing the tide turning, stopped imitating a conductor and with a curse snapped his fingers.

In response, the by now dozens of spears that had been hunting Jason through the air all converged on him at once instead of flying in the intricate patterns through the air they had previously. The son of Jupiter managed to swerve out of their way but now instead of winging back to attempt to skewer him after each evasion, the spears just exploded. As a result, the sky was soon filled by a chain of explosions.

"Jason!" Piper screamed as the blonde was overcome by the concussive blasts of so many nearby explosions and was knocked unconscious thus causing him to fall from the sky.

Bacchus just sighed in disappointment at the sight, even as Ophis worriedly prepared to do something.

Percy however acted before she could and a tendril of water shot from the pool that had restrained Otis and caught the Roman demigod gently from the air and set him down on the ground. All whilst its master engaged Ephialtes in close combat.

Riptide stabbed and slashed in a blur of bronze as the son of Poseidon danced around the giant, but his blows were all deflected by the giant's newly conjured spear. Percy never let up though, continuing to press the attack in a bid to find some kind of opening.

He could not keep it up for long however, he was only mortal, and soon he tired. With a grin Ephialtes broke through his guard with a powerful thrust. Even then Percy demonstrated why he was lauded as the greatest demigod swordsman alive by shifting his posture just enough to transform a fatal wound into simply a painful gash along his side.

"Looks like the Greek isn't all that after all."

Ophis ignored Bacchus. He was apparently too blinded by his prejudice to see what Percy had set up.

The successful hit seemed to get to Ephialtes' head and he let his guard down slightly. Enough so that he didn't notice that Jason had shakily pushed himself to a sitting position while chewing what must have been ambrosia and more importantly had sent a bolt of lightning streaking down on him. The lightning hit the unprepared giant head on and he jerked and spasmed as thousands of volts of electric fury roared through his system.

Before he could recover, a soaked but healed Percy charged him once more. With the giant unable to put up a proper guard in time, the son of Poseidon easily broke it and sliced the giant's spear in half. Ephialtes rallied though and swept low with the blunt end, knocking Percy off his feet. Percy landed hard on his sword arm, and Riptide clattered out of his grip.

"Percy." Ophis whispered worriedly under her breath.

The giant loomed over Percy and was about to deal the killing blow when another bolt of lightning roared down from the skies. This time however the giant was ready and swinging one half of his broken spear through the path of the bolt, he deflected it.

This however bought Percy the time he needed and a jet of water slammed into Ephialtes. The giant stumbled at the sudden impact, and Percy with Riptide once more in hand, charged. He focused his attacks on the giant's legs, wounding them and making it difficult for him to keep his balance. At the same time, Jason flew in to slash at his upper torso. The two pronged attack, from two very different vectors, seemed to disorient Ephialtes and he was unable to keep up. He still deflected the majority of the attacks, but more and more were slipping through his defenses.

"Jason, Percy, you can do it!" Piper cheered, alongside the roaring crowd.

Ophis eyed the ground below Ephialtes and grinned.

Distracted by the furious assault by the two demigods, Ephialtes hadn't noticed as a pool of water had slowly coalesced under his feet. Not until it exploded upward, sending him hurtling skyward. A sky which churned with the power of a storm and which unleashed its fury with a bolt of lightning. Caught in the grip of the water, Ephialtes was unable to do anything as he was electrocuted once more.

Reduced to a charred hunk of meat, the giant crashed down to earth next to an exhausted Percy and Jason.

Without prompting this time, Bacchus teleported next to the battered Ephialtes whose regeneration had only barely begun to restore him.

Like with Otis, Bacchus raised his thyrsus.

"DO IT!" the crowd roared.

"DON'T DO IT!" Ephialtes wailed.

Bacchus tapped the giant on the nose, and Ephialtes crumbled to ashes.

The ghosts cheered and threw spectral confetti as Bacchus strode around the stadium with his arms raised triumphantly, exulting in the worship. He grinned at the demigods. "That, my friends, is a show!"

Just then an oval shadow descended on the Colosseum as the Argo II arrived. As it finished landing, the crowd of ghosts shimmered and disappeared. Ophis teleported with Piper in tow down from the emperor's box as the Colosseum's magical renovations began to turn into Mist. The arena floor remained solid, but otherwise the stadium looked as if it hadn't hosted a good giant killing for eons.

"Well," Bacchus said. "That was fun. You have my permission to continue your voyage."

"Bacchus." Ophis hissed warningly.

The god gave an unrepentant shrug. "Fine. Fine. I know when I'm not wanted. I guess I'll get going. But before that, a little reward to you son of Neptune for your truly stellar performance."

"Poseidon," Percy corrected him. "And what kind of reward?"

Ophis shot the wine god a glare, but he just ignored her. "Information. Your journey ahead will be harder than you expect. Harder than anything you've ever done. And it'll start in the parking lot behind the Emmanuel Building."

"My journey? What do you mean?"

Ignoring him, Bacchus continued. "Now, good-bye, my friends. And, ah, good luck with that other little matter."

With that, the god vaporized in a cloud of mist that smelled faintly of grape juice.

Percy ground his teeth in frustration and turned to face Ophis. "What did he mean?"

"Do not speak to me with such disrespect, Percy." Ophis warned him. She was not exactly happy with him at the moment, not after how he took his own sweet time getting to Nico.

Percy looked furious. His eyes were swirling with suppressed indignation, his face was screwed up in barely contained rage, and his whole body screamed of the need to lash out. He was scaring his friends, who all took a step away from him.

"Don't you start that too!" He all but screamed, taking a step towards Ophis only to be restrained by Jason putting a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Percy, calm down."

The son of Poseidon shook his friend's hand off, but took a calming breath. "Please, Ophis, just tell me. What Bacchus said, it's about Annabeth, isn't it?"

The young protogenos felt her anger at his disrespect cool. He was only worried about his girlfriend.

"You have a premonition don't you?" Ophis asked rhetorically. It was the only reason for Percy's apparent leap in logic.

Percy nodded and shot her a pleading look.

"I can only say that it's something like that." Ophis hedged.

"Explain. Please."

Ophis shook her head. That was the whole problem, she couldn't. _Damn the Ancient Laws._

"Percy, she can't." Hazel said, stepping between Percy and the young girl. "The gods' rules won't let her."

"Hazel's right. I would tell you if I could."

The son of Poseidon hung his head.

"There is a little I can say, it's not much though."

"Anything is better than nothing." Leo urged.

"Well, you should listen to Bacchus' advice for one and head to that parking lot."

"I'm on it," Leo nodded as he rushed back onto the Argo II to get it ready for launch. Frank and their satyr chaperone following behind him.

"Second, you'll need to go to the two sides of the Doors of Death."

"Where are they?" Piper asked, nervously. He clearly had a bad feeling about where this conversation was going.

"The mortal side is in the House of Hades. It's an underground temple in Epirus." Ophis told the demigods as she conjured a map that she handed to Hazel. "I marked it on that map. As for the side in the Underworld-"

"It's in Tartarus, isn't it?" Percy said suddenly. "And that's where Annabeth and I need to go."

Ophis nodded and everyone else gulped.

"It will be hard on you Percy. As Bacchus said, harder than anything you've ever done. But I know you will succeed so long as you persevere. I have faith in you. In all of you."

"Faith from a god." Percy said with a smirk, some of the humor that was his trademark returning.

The Great Serpent sent them all one last encouraging look before teleporting away.

The next stage of this war would be up to them.

* * *

**And that's another chapter done.**

**This one was fairly interesting to write. It was another big fight like the Battle of the Wolf House but one where I decided I'll go a different direction. In that fight, I chose to stick close to canon and just add on to the existing fight. Here though, I basically rewrote the Ephialtes and Otis versus Jason and Percy fight from scratch. I liked how both came out in the end, but what do you guys think?**

**Drop me a review and let me know.**

**On another note, there might be some things mentioned in this chapter that you might not get, so here's a more elaborate explanation.**

**The title: A circus in Ancient Rome refers to a rounded or oval arena lined with tiers of seats, used for equestrian and other sports and games. Hence the title is referring how the Colosseum was fulfilling this role as a 'celebration' of the reunion between Ophis and Nico.**

**Grande Jeté: A type of ballet move. Search YouTube for a video to see what it is more clearly.**

**Naumachiae: Simulated sea battles that ancient writers record as having taken place in the Colosseum.**


	14. Back into the fight

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Chapter 13: Back into the fight**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

The training yards of Ogygia were where the armies of the Great Serpent drilled and trained. They were large patches of flattened earth set aside from the temple city or the massive industrial complex that had come to take over the bulk of the island. Surrounded by barracks and armories that housed and stocked everything Ophis' warriors could ever need, and with various magical and mechanical contraptions installed that allowed them to simulate any conceivable environment or situation, they were some of the best training grounds in the world.

It was in one such yard that a large crowd had gathered to watch a spar between two of the youngest protogenos' greatest champions.

In one corner was Nico di Angelo, son of Hades and Champion of Ophis. The beloved Big Brother of the island's ruler. Days after his liberation from captivity at the hands of the enemy and extensive treatment by the finest healers, the demigod was as hale and hearty as he had ever been. Thus with his Stygian Iron sword held in an expert stance he struck an imposing figure as he and his opponent circled each other.

In the other corner was Captain Hux, the Scythian Dracanae that served as one of the Great Serpent's greatest generals. She was also widely recognised as one of the best warriors in Ophis' army, having proven her worth in many engagements with the enemy and by besting many other notables in the sparring ring. Wielding her twin Primordial Electrum swords she eyed her opponent carefully.

The common belief was that a dracanae's slithering motion caused by having serpentine bodies for legs hampered their speed slightly and there was some truth for that. However, as Hux charged forward to close the distance, there was no sign of that supposed weakness at all. In a blink of an eye, she had covered the ten feet between them.

_She's fast._ Nico thought rather obviously as he moved to defend himself.

Nico parried Hux's left blade with ease, but seemingly completely failed to do anything about her right one beyond raising his arm in a seemingly desperate guard. Looks were deceiving however and just as the dracanae's blade should have cut into his arm, a shield of shadow coalesced around it. Moving with the ease of months of practice, he deflected the blade.

The redirection of both her weapons left Hux's guard open and Nico capitalized by landing a solid hit on her breastplate that pushed her back.

_Now's my chance._

Using the window of opportunity while she recovered, Nico pressed his advantage by firing a brace of shadow arrows at Hux.

The snake woman regained her bearings quickly though and was more than ready for Nico's attack, cutting the arrows apart with a single swipe of her sword. The arrows were only a feint however, one designed to cover the son of Hades' charge.

If Hux was distracted, there was no sign. Instead, she easily parried his sword with one blade while ducking under his shield bash. Instead of pressing the attack and risk being overpowered by the more muscular dracanae, Nico took a step back. Hux wasn't about to let him off so easily however and used the long tail of one of her serpentine legs to sweep him off his feet.

Caught off guard, Nico fell and would have been at the mercy of Hux's blades if he hadn't thought quickly and shadow travelled away. Reappearing a few feet away, he breathed a sigh of relief.

_That was close._ Nico mused as he and Hux began circling each other once more, even as he assessed his own condition. _Can't rely on Shadow Travel too much though. It's too draining. That jump alone took out a good fraction of my stamina._

He didn't let it show however as he charged once more, this time leading with his shield in the hopes of knocking Hux over and leaving her vulnerable. She once again demonstrated her speed however, and managed to slither out of the way. Well, mostly anyways. At the last minute, he'd expanded the size of his shield, and thus managed to clip her on the side.

The blow sent her spinning and more importantly made her lose her grip on one of her blades, which promptly went flying across the yard.

_I've got her!_

Acting quickly to press his advantage further, Nico spun to face her and launched the shadows that made up his shield at her in a single powerful shadow bolt.

Even disorientated from the earlier blow, Hux still had the presence of mind to use her remaining blade to deflect the deadly shadow bolt. It did however leave her unprepared for Nico as he charged her again. She swung her sword down at him, but he easily parried it. Soon the two were stabbing and slashing at each other in a veritable storm of swinging blades. It was clear however that Hux was tiring. Thus it surprised no one when with a particular clever feint and thrust Nico managed to disarm his opponent.

"Yield?" Nico asked politely as he put the tip of his sword to her throat.

"Yield." Hux agreed, with an impressed smile on his face.

The spectating crowd promptly burst into a round of applause, and he lowered his sword.

"Good job there, Nico." The dracanae said, as she gave him a pat on the back. "That trick with expanding the shield was brilliant."

"Thank you." The son of Hades replied with a smile. He would have said more, compared notes on their spar a bit, but before he could, a black and white missile slammed into his side and held on to him in a tight hug.

"Congratulations, Big Brother!" Ophis told him with a smile.

Returning his Little Sister's hug with one hand, he dismissed his sword and used his other hand to ruffle her hair.

"Hey!" The ruler of the island cried out indignantly as she jumped back from her brother. "Don't mess with my hair."

Nico just smiled at her in amusement. "Whatever you say, Oppy."

Ophis seemed to melt at her nickname, as she adopted a truly dopey grin and her eyes shone with happiness.

"I love it when you call me that."

Nico thoughtfully fought the urge to remind her that she used to hate it. Then again that was before he got himself captured and she was reminded of his mortality. She'd thought she'd never ever hear him call her that again. In light of that, it was no surprise that she'd come to deeply cherish the nickname that she'd previously so disliked.

That said, her new appreciation of his mortality was the obstacle he needed to overcome at the moment.

"So Ophis," Nico said deliberately switching back to her proper name to signal he was being serious. "Now that I've beaten Hux in a spar, will you let me help the Seven like you promised?"

Ophis fidgeted, clearly torn.

"My Lady, if I may?" Ophis gave Hux a nod, and the dracanae continued. "As our match has shown, Nico has fully recovered. There's no grounds to force him to stay."

Ophis nodded and turned to Nico. "Big Brother, are you sure this is what you want to do? It's super dangerous out there right now."

"I'm sure." Nico reassured her. "Besides, I think I've just shown everyone that I can take care of myself. Haven't I?"

His adorable Little Sister just raised an eyebrow skeptically.

_Damn! She just keeps getting cuter._

"Most of the time, at least." Nico corrected himself, even as he smothered his urge to ruffle Ophis' hair again. "I'll just make sure to not do something crazy from now on and I'll be fine."

Clearly still reluctant, Ophis nevertheless nodded in acquiesce.

Smiling, Nico leaned down and kissed Ophis on the forehead. "Thank you, Little Sister."

Her face flush like a tomato and waving her hands through the air, a very flustered Ophis said, "J-just go get your gear, already!"

Chuckling at how endearing Ophis could be, Nico left to do just that.

* * *

It took Ophis a whole five minutes after Nico's embarrassing public display of affection for her to get a grip on herself, all while her subjects politely pretended she was not freaking out. Not that it stopped them from sporting amused grins.

_Damn it, Big Brother! Did you have to do that in front of my subjects? It's so embarrassing._ Ophis thought to herself with a groan as she hid her face behind her hands.

Sensing her brother was on his way back, Ophis quickly recomposed herself. She didn't want his last impression of her before he went off to battle to be of her freaking out.

"Ophis, I'm ready to go." He told her as he walked over with a backpack slung over his shoulder.

She nodded even as her stomach churned at the prospect of him putting himself in danger. Unable to resist, she tried to get him to stay one last time.

"Are you sure that you have to go out there and risk your life?"

Kneeling so that he was looking her straight in the eye, Nico gently took hold of her hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze. "You know that's part and parcel of being a demigod. I know you worry about me, but you have to let me live my own life and that means doing my duty as a hero."

_What can I say to that?_ Ophis thought to herself with a sigh. Wasn't she also at war with Gaea because she felt it was her duty to protect her loved ones? Wouldn't she be a hypocrite if she stopped Nico from doing his?

With a thought, a portal opened to her side.

"That leads to the deck of the Argo II. It'll be arriving in Venice soon. They'll need your help there."

Giving Ophis' hands a last reassuring squeeze, Nico stood. He shot her a smile and stepped through the portal.

_Stay safe, Big Brother._

* * *

**And thus ends another chapter.**

**A short one this time. It was mainly focused on Ophis' overprotectiveness kicking into high gear again for good reason. Plus how Nico overcame it.**

**Hope you enjoyed it.**

**Please review and see you next time.**

 


	15. Busy day for a busybody

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Chapter 14: Busy day for a busybody**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

Nico looked up uncertainly, as he and Jason Grace secured the scepter of Dicoletan - the latest artifact they needed in the war against Gaea - from the god Cupid. "We should get back to the ship."

"Yeah. I can fly us—" Jason Grace offered.

"No," Nico announced, still shaken from having confessed to having had feelings for Percy Jackson. "This time we're shadow-traveling. I've had enough of the winds for a while."

Between the love god's decision to disappear by transforming into the wind and his wind god servant, Zephyros, Ophis could not blame her Big Brother. Not after how the winged god had forced the painful confession out of the son of Hades.

She watched as Nico conjured a shadow portal and the two demigods stepped through, all while worry gnawed at her heart over how her brother was coping with what happened. She had known that his confrontation with the god of desire would be painful for him. It was why she had chosen to come watch the encounter firsthand, to make sure that he walked away from it unharmed.

She was just mulling over whether she should pay the Argo II a visit to comfort her brother when the devilishly handsome Eros rematerialized amid the ruins of the Roman town where he had met the two demigods. He wore the guise of a lean, muscular young man with snowy white wings, straight black hair, blood-red eyes and a harsh but handsome face. He wore a simple white frock and jeans, with a bow and quiver slung over his shoulder.

"Your brother has left, you can come out now, busybody." The god called out, his voice amused and challenging at the same time.

Ophis obliged him as a host of snakes slithered out from the ruins and coalesced into Ophis.

"I'm not a busybody," The protogenos retorted. "Just a worried sister."

The archer just snorted.

"Is that so? Is that why you sent a scathing letter reprimanding Triptolemus for how he treated the boy in Venice?"

"He turned him into a plant! Of course I'd be angry." The little girl shot back, crossing her hands defiantly.

"It was never meant to be permanent." The god pointed out. "Besides, your brother _threatened_ him. Did you expect Triptolemus to not take offense? That he shouldn't have taken his righteous anger out on a demigod like is a god's due?"

"A god shouldn't do that."

"Like you are not guilty of venting on lesser beings?" The god countered. "Need I remind you of Chrysaor?"

Ophis looked away guiltily. She'd walked right into that one.

"I thought so." Cupid said with a smirk.

_Smug bastard._ Ophis whined to herself. _Well, I'm not going to give him any more satisfaction. Time to change the topic._

"Right. So, I think making Nico come clean about his feelings for Percy was the right thing to do." The god nodded to this. "But weren't you a little too harsh on him?"

Affronted, Cupid shot back. "You're eight. What do you know about love?"

Ophis opened her mouth to say something but the winged archer just shot her a dark look that made her snap her mouth closed. Satisfied that he wouldn't be interrupted, he continued.

"Furthermore, I don't tell you how to do your job, so don't tell me how to do the job that I've been doing for centuries. Some just need a nudge. Others, like your brother, need something a little stronger."

"That's not what I meant." Ophis backtracked. "I wasn't trying to say you were doing your job wrong."

"Good, because need I remind you of what I am capable of?" The god said warningly, his hand reaching back into his quiver and idly stroking the fletching of his arrows. Arrows which had the power to impart uncontrollable desire and love for another to those they strike, even be they Olympians. A power that made even the mightiest beings in creation wary.

Ophis however was not about to be take this implicit threat lightly. Narrowing her eyes, she replied in a warning tone of her own. "If we're comparing who is more dangerous, don't forget that I can kill you _permanently_ by doing the deed then scattering your Essence across time and space beyond your ability to reform."

"Of course you can." The god conceded with a shrug. "You proved that point when you dealt with Kronos and Khione. But not before I can hurt _you_ very badly."

He emphasized this point by fiddling with one of the iron arrows in his quiver, the ones which could cause those hit by them to transform the smallest speck of dislike into the deepest of hatreds for those he chose.

The Great Serpent clenched her fists in anger at this further reminder on his part of the threat he posed to her, but otherwise said nothing. If he was unafraid of her threat to permanently end his existence than she couldn't really think of anything else that she could threaten him with.

"A word of advice, young one," the god said kindly, his hand moving away from his quiver to rest at his side. "I know you love your brother dearly and after what happened to him are feeling very protective of him. However, you need to take a step back and let him handle his own problems."

"I know that." Ophis admitted in a small voice, even as she looked away. "But that's not an easy thing to do."

"The things which are worth doing rarely are." The god told her. "The story of my wife and I is ample proof of that."

Ophis nodded. "I know. Thanks for remind-"

The young protogenos didn't finish her sentence as her head jerked to the side. Her ears were ringing with the desperate prayers of her warriors as they fought for their lives. They needed her.

"Cupid, I have to go. Bye!"

Without another word, the Great Serpent vanished in a burst of golden light.

Alone in the ruins of a town long since lost to the ravages of time, the god of love and desire sighed.

"Rushing off to be a busybody again, I see." He allowed himself an amused smile as added. "Though sometimes that may be a good thing."

With that the god transformed into a gust of wind and departed, leaving the ruins empty once more.

* * *

Mount Pelion in central Greece is considered one of the most beautiful mountains in the country and is a popular tourist attraction throughout the year. It boasted hiking trails and stone paths which gave access to springs, coves and numerous beaches, sandy or pebbly, set among lusciously green slopes.

At the behest of Ophis however her loyal subjects had marred the slopes of this picturesque mountain with a massive dig site. One which had as Ophis teleported in devolved into a battlefield.

On one side were her forces anchored around a massive Lydian drakon. It was a snake-like creature two hundred feet long, with acidic venom that could corrode armor, had an immobilizing gaze, and scales that were virtually indestructible. It was supported by a company of about a hundred dracanae troops, a dozen Telekhine engineers and four Outsiders. They had originally also had three assault skimmers, two ballistae variants and one catapult type, but all three had already been reduced to little more than sparking wrecks.

This was almost certainly a direct result of the Gigantes Mimas. He was 25 feet tall, with skin and dragon-scale legs as black as charcoal, long oil-black hair that glittered with copper wires and smashed circuit boards. He was equipped with coal-black armor, and a massive sledgehammer.

Beside him stood his even more gargantuan brother, Alcyoneus. At over 40 feet tall, he towered over his brother and the battlefield. In contrast to his brother's uniformly dark coloration, he had metallic gold skin, studded with precious gems and metals, and rust-coloured dragon legs. He wore armor made of platinum links and wielding a staff the size of a totem pole.

Together these two sons of Gaea led dozens of Gegeines and hundreds of Karpoi. The statue like Gegines with their six arms, height of between 7 and 8 feet, superhuman strength, and ability to generate large and surprisingly sharp rocks in their hands to use as melee weapons or to throw at their foes were an intimidating foe. The two giants thus wisely used them as the main force of their army.

From afar the Karpoi hardly looked threatening at all. They were only the size of toddlers, with rolls of baby fat, but a greenish hue to their skin. This combined with their dry, brittle wings like corn-husks, and tufts of white hair like corn silk, made them look like a twisted version of the mortals' modern depictions of Cupid. Something that Ophis having just met the god felt was ironic.

The similarities to cherubs however ended when one looked at their faces which were universally haggard and pitted with kernels of grain. Their eyes were solid green, and they had canine fangs as teeth. This monstrous face was a clear and accurate indication of their destructive nature as they used their numbers and ability to dissolve into whirlwinds of various grain to protect the Gegines' flanks and launch spoiling attacks on Ophis' troops.

Materializing on top of the only intact piece of equipment in the dig site, Ophis eyed the two armies and assessed the situation.

The two Gigantes were currently preoccupied by the drakon which was using its immense bulk to keep the two heavy hitters separated from the rest of the battle. A task it was assisted in by the Outsiders who intercepted either Mimas or Alcyoneus whenever they managed to slip past the drakon.

Despite the success her troops had at isolating the two Gigantes form the larger battle, her forces were still being pushed back. The Karpoi were little more than nuisances, but they were effective. Their attacks distracted her forces, disrupted their coordination and made it impossible to mount an effective counterattack against the Gegines even as the lesser giants pounded them by hurling boulders at them.

_Quite a few of the Telekhines are down_ , Ophis noted with a frown, as she eyed the unconscious forms and in a couple cases golden dust remains of the dog like demons. They were all surrounded by ruined machinery.

_From the looks of it because their equipment failed on them. Probably due to Mimas' glitch causing powers._ The Great Serpent concluded as she levelled a glare at the giant.

She was however thankful that everyone, on both sides, were giving their prize a wide berth even during their deadly struggle. Said prize was a fossilized shard of Ouranos' Essence that Ophis had ordered her subjects to excavate. Even though it was a mere sliver of the ancient protogenos, the shard nevertheless was desperately trying to escape the prison of the Earth and return to its greater body in the sky.

The only thing holding it back from doing so was the equipment that the Telekhines had set up, which fortunately Mimas' power was not affecting. Perhaps he was holding back from doing so. It made sense as neither she nor Gaea had anything to gain from letting the shard escape into the sky. If it did, it would only be a matter of time before Ouranos reformed and that was not something either side wanted.

Having finished assessing the situation, Ophis made her first move. Stretching her power to encompass the whole mountain, she shifted the whole space into a pocket dimension.

Immediately, Mimas screamed in agony and collapsed.

"Stop! Whatever you're doing, stop! Please!" He begged as he writhed in pain. "It feels like you've ripped part of my soul out of me! Please make it stop!"

Ophis smirked in satisfaction, in _this_ dimension his power to warp reality on Earth, so core to his nature, was stripped from him. He was in Ophis' domain now and she wasn't going to be anywhere as generous to him as his mother was.

"Brother!" Alcyoneus shouted in shock as he raced to his brother's aid, completely oblivious to the fact that his gold skin had turned to brass. He too was suffering from being cut off from the rest of the world, including his territory, and had thus lost his invincibility.

The drakon had not failed to notice this however and promptly capitalized. Rearing up it spat a massive stream of venom all over the eldest of the Gigantes. The acid melted his eyes and began eating through his now vulnerable flesh.

Screaming in anguish and disoriented from both being rendered blind and immense pain, the bane of Hades stumbled around as he scratched at his ruined face. This left him easy prey for the Outsiders who grabbed him by his limbs.

"Wha-" The hapless son of Gaea began only to cut off as the Outsiders simultaneously gave a might pull and tore him apart, showering the entire battlefield in his viscera.

Ophis looked on in satisfaction, before turning her attention to Mimas. He had watched his brother's demise with a look of horror, his fear at the gruesome display and the understanding that he was next enough to silence him even in the face of his continued torment.

Looking him directly in the eyes, wide with fear as they were, from across the battlefield, Ophis offered him a vicious smirk and taunted him.

"How does it feel O Bane of Hephaestus, O mighty son of Gaea, to be faced with the prospect of true death."

The Gigantes paled as the implication of Ophis' words hit him. She would show him no mercy and would bestow on him the same fate she'd condemned her father to. True death.

Faced with the ultimate fear of all immortals, he opened his mouth to beg but the protogenos was having none of it.

With a wave of her hand, she opened a portal right under Mimas. One that led straight to the depths of deep space. Too terrified and in pain to even think of running, the pitiful son of the Earth Mother fell through without any resistance. However, as he crossed the event horizon the portal began sparking erratically before blinking out in a burst of copper hued light.

"By Mother Abyss!" Ophis cursed. "That accursed giant managed to recover his powers as he fell through and glitched the portal!"

Furious that her prey had escaped, the Great Serpent turned her attention to the remnants of Gaea's army. Without the Gigantes to preoccupy the drakon and the Outsiders, the Gegeines and Karpoi were no match for Ophis' forces. The drakon sprayed torrents of its venom over the horde of grain spirits and reduced them to unrecognizable lumps of deformed plant matter. At the same time, the Outsiders led the rest of the infantry in as they charged the Gegines and engaged them in hand to hand.

Her forces were doing well and victory was all but assured now, but Ophis was too angry to care. With a furious hiss that impossibly resonated down to the very bones of everyone on the battlefield, the daughter of Kronos brought her power to bear. One moment, Gaea's troops were fighting desperately. The next, they were consumed in pillars of Ophis' power and disintegrated.

As the enemies before her were finally eliminated, Ophis felt her anger cool.

"Captains, attend to your men." She ordered, looking on from the vantage point on the equipment that continued to keep the Ouranos shard restrained.

Turning from her warriors as they obeyed and began to count their losses, Ophis turned to the Ouranos shard.

"This better be worth it."

* * *

**Decided to release this chapter a bit early since I might be busy tomorrow. That said another chapter bites the dust.**

**Hope you enjoyed it. I tried to show quite a few sides of Ophis in this one. Firstly, her continued overprotectiveness. Second, her growing maturity as seen by her realization that she needs to give Nico more space. Lastly, her viciousness is also on full show in the last part of the battle.**

**Also hope you readers like the inclusion of the Ouranos shard. I always wondered why Ouranos didn't reform like other protogenos would. I mean sure, he died outside his domain but surely after so long, his essence would have slowly migrated back to the sky and he would have reformed. Then it hit me that he didn't just die outside his domain, he died in the domain of the mastermind behind his death: Gaea! So it struck me that she must be actively keeping his essence from returning for the sky. Hence, the idea of the Ouranos shard.**

**Now what does Ophis want with the shard? She's already explicitly ruled out reviving Ouranos, so what's her plan? Well, keep reading to find out.**

**Please review.**

**Till next time.**


	16. A suitor comes unannounced

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Chapter 15: A suitor comes unannounced**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

Calypso was currently having a working tea with Fidi and their liege Ophis in the young protogenos' Waldorf Astoria suite. The two lieutenants were updating the Great Serpent on the matters they had been assigned. Fidi, as her handmaiden, had taken on the responsibility of managing her household. This largely amounted to keeping tabs on Nico, overseeing Lily's wellbeing and education, and being in charge of her relations with the other divinities.

This last area of responsibility overlapped with Calypso's sphere as Ophis' executive assistant and had forced them to work together quite a bit. This had thankfully greatly helped in reducing the tensions between the two women that stemmed from the daughter of Atlas taking over a fair chunk of the duties Fidi had initially handled.

The snake nymph had finished her reports. Nico was doing well and being a great help to the crew of the Argo II. Lily meanwhile was making steady progress in her studies both academic and martial. Relations with the other gods were, as expected in the middle of a war, especially complicated but largely as expected.

It was Calypso's turn now to give her report and she was updating her liege on the latest developments in regards to the Ouranos shard.

"The Telekhines have just finished their final inspection of the shard, and the necessary equipment for the installation-"

"Especially the containment units?" Ophis interrupted.

Calypso nodded. "Especially the containment units. Everyone is fully aware of how much of a disaster letting the shard escape would be. Rest assured, My Lady, that we will not let it happen."

Ophis nodded, appeased. Calypso gave a relieved smile at that and picked up her teacup as she relaxed, she had been worried her liege would press for more details and derail the conversation further. Ophis had been incredibly paranoid about the shard escaping. The daughter of Atlas could sympathize.

While she did not know Ouranos personally, the stories told of him were enough to send shivers down her spine. The young protogenos was leery of any possibility of his return and their subsequent war. Because, of course, they'd be enemies. There was no way Ophis wouldn't oppose a tyrant like Ouranos.

Pushing these thoughts aside, Calypso took a sip of tea and cradled the cup in her hands before resuming her report. "Chief Seahound informs me that they will begin the first phase of the installation tomor-"

The Titaness was unable to finish her sentence as she suddenly found herself forcibly teleported. Having previously been in a sitting position, the sudden loss of a chair as she rematerialized completely unbalanced her and she fell on her rear. The fall also caused the teacup she'd been holding to spill its contents all over her.

"Curses." Calypso said with a frown as she got back to her feet and looked around. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized she was in her office on Ogygia.

"Well, at least I'm somewhere safe." She mused with a frown as she surveyed her ruined outfit. The tea having badly stained her fashionable smart casual dress. Thankfully her Titanic constitution meant that the hot tea was nothing more than an irritant, saving her from any burns.

She was about to use her magic to change her outfit when she was interrupted by a knock on her door.

"Lady Calypso?" The voice of her dracanae secretary called out from the opposite side of the door.

"Yes?"

"Oh good, you _are_ back. I thought I was hearing things."

"Yes, it's me. Now is something the matter or were you just checking whether it was me?"

"With have an intruder, My Lady." The secretary informed her without preamble.

_An intruder just as I get forcibly teleported back to Ogygia?_ Calypso mused with a frown as an idea began forming in her mind. _Please tell me that I'm wrong._

Even as fearful thoughts began percolating in her mind, the sorceress let none of it show in her voice as she addressed her subordinate.

"I'm on my way." She declared confidently as she used her magic to change into a sharply cut pants suit and strode out the door.

She had just stepped out of her office when Ophis and Fidi teleported in front of her.

"Calypso, are you alright?" Ophis asked, the worry clear in her voice.

Her concern brought a smile to the Titaness' face. It was rare in the divine hierarchy to have a liege who so genuinely cared for their vassals and subordinates, so every example that her chosen superior was one such individual was always heartwarming.

"I'm fine, My Lady." Calypso reassured. "Just a little surprised by what's going on."

"You know what this is about?" Fidi asked tersely. The snake nymph looked tense, her eyes observing her surroundings through narrow slits and her forked tongue darting out of her mouth every so often to scent the air.

_She thinks this is some kind of attack._ Calypso realized.

"Not for certain, though I have an idea. It probably has something to do with the intruder to the island but I have no proof."

"Intruder?" Fidi demanded, even as their liege's eyes widened in surprise as she probably came to the same hypothesis that the sorceress herself had.

"I know as much as you do at this point." Calypso explained with a shrug.

"Then let's go find out more." Ophis said cutting in. "I've ordered the guards to escort him to my throne room."

* * *

Leo Valdez was not having a good day. First he and his friends on the Argo II were ambushed by the Boreads, Calais and Zethes, as they came seeking vengeance over the death of their bitch sister Khione. Then instead of fighting him fair and square, the two freezing windbags just had to use some magic to send him hurtling through the air to crash on some island. Well, he guessed that he should be thankful that the crash, for some reason, didn't kill him. Unfortunately, that was all the good fortune he'd had so far as he was promptly captured by an army of dracanae.

Which led to him being frogmarched at spearpoint by a squad of the snake women to their leader, Ophis. Just thinking about the protogenos in the shape of a little girl made him break out in cold sweat. His few encounters with her and the stories he'd heard from his friends had all been terrifying. She was insanely powerful and had the self-control of a little kid. It was not a good combination. Not at all.

_And now I'm gonna get judged by her for trespassing on her island._ The son of Hephaestus thought to himself with dread. _I'm so screwed._

The demigod was just making peace with the prospect when he and his captors entered a massive chamber. It must have been the size of a stadium, with murals along the walls that depicted Ophis' story blending seamlessly with vistas from across the cosmos which shifted from one moment to the next. The floor and ceiling were a shifting starscape that put the best planetariums to shame. Despite its size there was no pillars to hold up the roof, and there was a clear line of sight to the relatively humble black marble throne at the other end of the hall.

It was occupied by a large crowd of monsters, Ophis' minions probably, that stood in two blocks on either side of a straight path leading up to the throne. Upon which sat the ruler of the island.

"My Lady, the intruder." The leader of the dracanae surrounding him said with a bow.

"Thank you, Captain Hux." Ophis said with a nod to the snake woman before turning to Leo. "Leo Valdez step forward."

Leo gulped but complied, even as a pair of the dracanae fell in behind him with their spears still poised to run him through at the slightest hint of trouble. He was sweating bullets as he marched up to what was the scariest person he knew.

That was until he caught sight of the woman standing to the left of Ophis' throne. She was the most beautiful woman in the world. She was dressed in a pants suit that made her look like a professional while still showing off her smoking hot curves. Her hair was long, straight, and golden brown—almost the same cinnamon-toast color as Hazel's, but the similarity to the daughter of Pluto ended there. The girl's face was milky pale, with dark, almond-shaped eyes and pouty lips. It was the most perfect face he'd ever seen even if it was set in a coldly professional mask. She looked maybe fifteen, about Leo's age.

"Wow!" Leo said dumbstruck by the beauty before him. She was the prettier than any of the goddesses even.

She just frowned at him, even as Ophis coughed to gain his attention.

He turned to face the protogenos immediately, his earlier fear and a healthy dose of self preservation instinct kicking in. They didn't stop him from looking at the babe out of the corner of his eye every chance he got though.

This didn't go unnoticed by the little girl on the throne and she looked down on him disapprovingly, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. Even though the woman did nothing but continue to frown at him,

"Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, Captain of the Argo II." The woman on Ophis' right, her nymph handmaiden Fidi Douli, said as she stepped forward. "What are you doing on Ogygia?"

"No idea, to be honest." The demigod said with a shrug. "All I know is those shitty popsicles Zethes and Calais sent me here."

Ophis and the hottie exchanged a look.

"It might be a coincidence?" Ophis offered, though she sounded doubtful.

_What are they talking about?_

"If it is, then I should be able to teleport away. But I can't. It's the curse, it has to be." The beauty said with a sad sigh.

"I'm sorry Calypso."

_Finally, I get a name!_

"It's not your fault, My Lady." Calypso said, sounding disheartened. "If there's anyone to blame it is the gods."

"Uh. Someone mind explaining what's going on?"

Ophis waved at Fidi to do so, while she got up from her throne and hugged Calypso.

Leo really wanted to swap places with the little girl then but knew better, so instead he paid attention to the snake nymph.

"Calypso is under a curse placed on her by the gods, we had thought it had been broken but it seems we were wrong. It makes it so that she cannot leave Ogygia. Whenever the gods feel like it they send someone to the island for her to fall in love with but they always send someone who will break her heart, and never stay."

"That's messed up."

"Indeed it is, Leo." Ophis said with an angry look on her face that had the demigod paling. "And it seems Aphrodite has seen fit to make you the latest hero to grace Ogygia's shores."

"But how is that possible? I mean, even I've heard that Calypso has been running around all over the place while working for you, so wasn't the curse broken already?"

"Clearly My Lady only managed to loosen its bounds, not break it entirely." Calypso said sadly.

"Well, I'll do it right this time." Ophis declared, her eyes glowing with power for a moment before she let her power fade and stamped her feet in frustration.

"My Lady?"

"I can't. Not yet." Ophis said with a pout. "The Fates have decreed that we need to let the curse run its course at least one last time."

Calypso shot surprised looks between Ophis and Leo at this but eventually took a fortifying breath and gave a sad nod of acceptance in response.

"I'm sorry, Calypso."

"Again, My Lady, none of this is your fault." The sorceress reassured the little girl.

Ophis just nodded reluctantly, before turning to Leo once more.

"Leo, Fidi will provide you with a place to stay for your time on Ogygia."

The nymph stepped forward and nudged Leo's shoulder. Reluctantly, he followed after her though he shot repeated looks over his shoulder at Calypso as he did.

Said Titaness was busy discussing how to beef up Ogygia's defenses to close the backdoor the curse left behind and ignored him.

* * *

Over the next week, Calypso steadfastly ignored the 'hero' that Aphrodite had sent her way. It was not that she hated Leo Valdez as a person, though he could be quite aggravating.

Just look at the number of complaints about him that she'd received over the short course of his stay. He'd been provided a small workshop and had been experimenting with ways to get off Ogygia, working till insane hours and keeping his neighbors up in the process. The Telekhines didn't mind, but everyone else did. Something that even the sea demons had learned to respect. His brash and annoying attitude towards others certainly didn't help, especially since everyone on the island already resented him being there. This was only made worse by his habit of taking equipment and material without asking beforehand and just leaving a note behind. As a result, he'd gotten into more than a dozen arguments with the island's residents and at least one brawl.

No, what really made her dislike the boy was what he represented! He was Aphrodite's choice for who _she_ thought Calypso should fall in love with. Not Calypso's own choice. The love goddess was taking her right to choose away from her and that infuriated her at a deep level. Ever since she'd starting working for Ophis, Calypso had enjoyed a level of freedom that she'd never thought possible in all her years as a prisoner of her curse. To now have that taken away from her once more? It had left her furious.

It was why even though she knew that defying the will of the lady of the doves was fruitless, she was still going to try. She was not going to let the daughter of Ouranos win that easily.

It seemed though that her ability to ignore the problem that Valdez was becoming was at an end The boy had received numerous warnings about his behavior but he hadn't changed at all. If nothing happened, Lady Ophis would have to get involved and that was something Calypso would not allow. It was her job as her assistant to make sure that trivial matters such as this were taken care of and, uneasy about doing so or not, she was going to do what needed to be done.

"Valdez!" Calypso called out to the demigod angrily as she stalked into his workshop.

The boy jumped up from his workbench where he'd been arms deep in some contraption, with an eager look on his face.

"Uh hi Calypso."

The sorceress ignored his greeting and plowed on ahead with why she was there.

"There have been even _more_ complaints about you!" She informed him coldly.

"About that-"

"No excuses." She cut him off. "Look, we don't expect you to be on your best behavior but you need to treat people on the island better. Don't forget that you're a guest here. Don't abuse our hospitality!"

"Hey! That's not fair! It's not like I want to be here, even I'm crazy interested in you-" Calypso glared at him and he caught himself. "Ahem! That secret project that's taking up half the island."

"Neither of those things are what you should be focusing on." The woman informed him harshly. "Instead of wasting time on things that aren't your business, why don't you learn to play nice? For better or worse, you're stuck here until someone finds out a wave to bypass the curse. Do you want to spend all that time rubbing everyone the wrong way?"

The boy looked thoughtful at hearing that. Satisfied, Calypso decided her work was done here and turned to leave. However, she'd only taken a few steps when the boy stopped her.

"Hey wait."

Turning back around, the daughter of Atlas cocked an eyebrow in question.

"I have a question."

"Go on."

"So, I was wondering why do you seem to dislike me so much? I mean, not only have you been ignoring me but every time we see each other you're glaring at me."

Calypso sighed. She knew she was being unfair to the boy. _I guess that he does deserve some explanation._

"It's nothing personal." She admitted. "It's just that you represent the curse and I hate that with a passion."

"I can imagine." Leo replied sympathetically. "It must suck, not just being stuck on Ogygia but also not having much choice in who you get to love."

The Titaness blinked in surprise. She'd not expected that the son of Hephaestus would understand that. Not many people got the second part of the curse. Most had long since resigned themselves to the whims of Fate and the gods when it came to their lives or chose to be willfully ignorant of it. So they didn't really see how frustrating it was. Yet this boy did.

_Maybe there's more to him than I thought._

"Thank you, Leo." The immortal said genuinely.

"For what?" The boy asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"For getting it." Calypso explained as she turned and walked off.

* * *

A couple days later, Calypso was pleased to note that Leo had taken her advice about being more friendly with the islanders. He'd started to take time off from his tinkering to help out around the island.

His first contribution had been building a automaton to help in the farms. A move which had the unexpected effect of sparking a competition among the Telekhines to do likewise. Thanks to this, the productivity of the farms had skyrocketed.

He'd next tried to help out the librarian by giving him a sorting automaton. It'd worked fine, but the dragon didn't like it much as it found the clanking it made as it moved around annoying.

Leo was modifying said automaton to be quieter when Calypso came to pay him a visit.

"Good evening Leo." She greeted him pleasantly as she stepped into his workshop.

"Hi Calypso." The boy replied as he stepped away from the pile of gears, wires and circuitry that he'd been working on and wiped his greasy hands on a washcloth. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to come by to thank you for taking my advice." The immortal informed him. "I've not been receiving any complaints about you lately."

"I'd hope not." Leo said with an awkward smile. "After the last time you came by, well, I really thought about what you said. And I realized I was being a jerk. So yeah, I tried to change that."

"And it seems you've succeeded."

"Thanks." He said while rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

Calypso just smiled while looking at a half built machine in the far corner. "Is that the machine you were working on the last time I was here?"

"Yeah," The tinkerer confirmed as they both approached the contraption to get a closer look. "It's what I hope will get me off the island."

"Any progress?"

"Not much." The boy confessed. "But I think I'm moving in the right direction."

"Well, hopefully between you and Lady Ophis, you'll succeed soon."

"Ophis is trying too?" The son of the smith god asked. "Didn't she say the curse needed to run its course?"

"Yes, she did." Calypso nodded. "But how that course is completed is up to interpretation."

"Isn't that like rules lawyering or something?"

"It is." The woman shrugged. "But that's how a lot of things work in our world. So no harm trying."

"I guess."

"Hey Leo, mind if I ask you a personal question?"

The boy blushed a little at that, and while part of Calypso was offended by the boy's attraction knowing that it was in part artificially created by the situation Aphrodite had created, most of her was flattered.

"S-sure. Go ahead." Leo breathed out in a rush.

"Well, you see the gods don't just send any hero to Ogygia. They always send someone who is having trouble in love in some way. Either they're torn between more than one woman, they're not able to properly discern their feelings, or something like that. So what trouble are you having in _your_ love life?"

Leo looked uncertain for a moment and Calypso almost apologized for asking something that was too personal, but before she could say anything, he replied.

"I guess it's because I always seem to be looking for love in the wrong places all the time."

"What do you mean?"

"It's either I go after girls with eyes for someone else, are oath bound, or in the one time when I was being particularly stupid someone who was evil."

"You'll find someone eventually." Calypso told him encouragingly. "Though can I ask why you seem to be looking so hard? I mean you're still so young, surely you have plenty of time to find someone."

Again Leo looked uncomfortable answering, but with a deep breath he did so.

"I just want what all my friends have. Everyone around me is hooking up. Percy and Annabeth. Jason and Piper. Frank and Hazel. All of them are so happy together. I just want some of that happiness too, you know? Before this war kills me."

"You think you'll die fighting this war?"

Leo just nodded sadly.

Calypso's heart broke for the boy. Despite believing he was doomed, he bravely soldiered on doing what was right. Giving his all in a fight that he was convinced would kill him.

Pulling him into a hug that he stiffly returned, she whispered to him soothingly. "Don't think that way. I'm sure that you'll live a long and happy life with someone who will love you for the wonderful person that you are."

Leo just nodded, and if the wet spot on her shoulder were any indication shed a few tears. There was no indication of that though as he stepped back from the hug.

Looking like he'd recovered a little of his spunk, he smirked at her and asked. "So how do you manage to be so damn optimistic? You've been through hell, so how?"

"I'm not proud to say that for a long time I was very bitter over my fate," Calypso replied, easily sharing what was one of her deepest secrets. That she'd not always taken her curse in stride was a source of great shame to her and not something she shared with anyone. Leo deserved to know though, especially after telling her all that he had.

"But then I realized being bitter and angry all the time was doing me no good. It just made me unhappy. So I always try to let anything negative I feel go as quickly as possible, though sometimes that isn't easy."

"But you manage anyways."

"It might take some time, but yes."

"You're strong." Leo said with a look of respect.

Calypso blushed at that. "Thank you."

* * *

After that heartfelt exchange of secrets, Calypso began spending her lunch with the demigod. They talked about all sorts of things: Leo's latest gadgets, Calypso's troubles with managing the many people now under her charge, Lady Ophis, his friends on the Argo II and Camp, and anything that struck their fancy.

This new closeness did not go unnoticed and seemed to endear Leo to the islanders more than even his efforts to help them. They all respected Calypso and if he was her friend, then he had their respect too. Even Lady Ophis had taken notice and during their last meeting, the little girl had shot her a knowing smile and commented that things between Leo and her were progressing well. This had left Calypso deeply embarrassed and sputtering denials, but her matron had just kept smiling knowingly at her.

Not that it discouraged Calypso from lunching with the boy, she was finding it too fun to give it up just because she was getting teased about it.

As such, after yet another morning of working on coordinating Ophis' forces, she headed down to Leo's workshop to meet him to grab something to eat. She found him standing on a ladder and working on the teleportation signal booster he'd showed off to her yesterday, that he hoped would allow someone to break through the curse's restrictions.

"Leo, it's time for lunch." The sorceress called out to her friend as she walked in.

"Huh? It's lunch already?" The son of Hephaestus said as he pulled himself off from the innards of the ten foot column of machinery that was the would be signal booster. In his surprise, he accidentally hit a wrench that he'd left lying on the top of the ladder, sending it falling to the ground.

Calypso walked over to pick it up just as Leo shimmied down the ladder to do the same. Their hands brushed against each other in the process, and they both pulled back sharply as deep blushes blossomed on both their faces.

Abruptly, Calypso felt a shift in the island's magic. Immediately, she knew what that meant. Leo could finally leave the island. She had fallen in love with him.

Without wasting a moment, she grabbed Leo's arm and began dragging him to the docks.

"Calypso, what's the rush?"

"You can leave. The curse has lifted."

"So Ophis broke it?"

"No, it's been lifted the traditional way." Calypso explained evasively, as in defiance of logic they found themselves exiting the building where Leo's workshop was housed only to find themselves halfway across the island and already at the docks.

_Thank you, Lady Ophis._

Leo didn't even seem to notice the spatial manipulation, instead focusing on what Calypso had said. "What does that mean?"

"It means, Leo Valdez," Calypso said as they stopped right next to a raft loaded with a month's worth of supplies. "That I'm in love with you."

Leo looked flummoxed, and Calypso giggled at his expense. He just looked adorable.

He snapped out of it and looked ready to say something, when the clearing of a throat interrupted them.

They both turned to see Ophis standing a few feet away with an amused smile on her face. "I see the two of you have finally done it. It would seem I've won the betting pool after all."

"Betting pool?" Calypso and Leo both gasped.

"It was Hux's idea." Ophis revealed with a smirk.

"Anyways," The protogenos continued while the couple tried to process the idea that everyone seemed to think they would end up together eventually. "I have something for Leo."

Suddenly an ornate gold box materialized in the girl's hands, which she promptly handed to Leo.

"Consider it a reward for making my friend Calypso so happy the past week." Ophis explained even as Calypso blushed even harder. "You'll need what's inside in Athens."

"My Lady, what-"

Ophis cut her off with a shake of her head, before smirking once more.

"Leo, remember to give Calypso a fitting goodbye okay?"

With that final tease, the protogenos vanished.

Blushing madly at the young girl's suggestion, the couple looked at each other awkwardly. Leo even fidgeted nervously as he tried to work up the courage to do something. Calypso was getting impatient though and pulling him close, kissed him.

It was a deeply passionate kiss as Calypso poured every ounce of the feelings that she'd slowly been building for Leo into the kiss. He was stiff at first, she knew it was his first proper kiss. But he let her take the lead and at her guidance, they both ended up enjoying a kiss to remember. As she stepped back, it saw Leo looking flabbergasted as if she'd short-circuited his brain.

Smilingly proudly at having managed to get that kind of reaction out of her man, Calypso gently pushed Leo onto the waiting raft.

"Get out of here."

"Okay."

She stood on the docks wiping her eyes furiously, the breeze tousling her hair as the raft carried Leo away from Ogygia. Away from her.

Just before the raft cleared the harbor and thus disappeared back to the real world, Leo turned to her and shouted a oath.

"I'm coming back for you, Calypso," he said with absolute conviction. "I swear it on the River Styx."

Her lips still tingling from the kiss, she just shook her head in fond amusement. "Men. Always trying to be dramatic."

* * *

**And so ends my attempt at a full chapter of fluff. I hope it's not** _**that** _ **bad. I know fluff isn't my forte, but I gave it my best at least.**

**Another thing that I hoped I made a good attempt at was Leo's characterization. I've said it elsewhere that I dislike him so I probably unconsciously imposed some of the 'fixes' I'd like his canon character to undergo into my version but I nevertheless tried my best to keep him in-character. Hopefully, I didn't mangle him too much.**

**Last thing, keep in mind that time doesn't flow the same on Ogygia as it does in the outside world. So even though Leo spent weeks on the island, to his friends he hasn't been gone any longer than he had in canon.**

**Well, that's all I have to say about the chapter's content. Hope you enjoyed it.**

**Till next time.**


	17. A busybody gets her due - The Battle at the Doors of Death

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Chapter 16: A busybody gets her due - The Battle at the Doors of Death**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

At the Doors of Death, in the depths of the dread realm of Tartarus, an epic battle raged. On one side there stood the Gigantes Damasen, his Maeonian Drakon, the Titan Bob and his Skeleton Warrior cat Small Bob. They defended the Doors for the 12 minutes it would take to transport their friends Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase back to the mortal world. Despite being individually powerful beings and more so since they were working together, they were nevertheless hopelessly outmatched.

For arrayed against them were the monstrous hordes of Gaea, practically all the monsters to currently reside in the realm of Tartarus. That they might have been able to handle, but at this host's head was none other than the god of the pit himself, Tartarus.

The protogenos of the Abyss had taken on the form of an immense humanoid with glistening purple flesh rippling with muscle. His fingers were tipped with razor-sharp black talons. Most terrifying of all was his face, for in place of a normal face was a swirling whirlpool. An inward spiral of darkness that was punctuated by a pair of glowing red eyes that shined with malice. Tartarus' black Stygian Iron boots were each the size of a coffin, and his breastplate had faces of gorgons, monsters, cyclopes and dragons all pressing against his armor as if trying to escape.

Against this ancient and mighty protogenos the defenders could do little more than buy time.

This was a fact that all four of them had resigned themselves to. It was thus with no regrets that as the panels on the elevator snapped Doors closed, they readied themselves for their inevitable doom.

_I will destroy all of you!_ Tartarus' voiced boomed as he loomed over them.

"No until our friends escape!" Damasen promised as he grabbed onto his father's legs and tried to pull the protogenos' immense avatar to the ground.

The hordes of monsters at the avatar's feet tried to swarm him and tear him off their master's body, but his drakon protected his back. It sprayed a seemingly unending stream of deadly acidic venom over their ranks, killing hundreds at a time and grappled with the handful of sturdier monsters who weathered its ranged attacks.

At the Doors, the Titan Bob formerly known as Iapetus, diminished by the destruction of his spear and symbol of power by Tartarus earlier in the battle, held the button that kept the Door working. Keeping him safe from the ravenous throngs of monsters was his pet Small Bob. It tore through their numbers with fang and claw, keeping its master safe while he did his all important task.

_Get off me, you traitorous fool._ Tartarus roared as he lashed out with a powerful kick that sent Damasen flying.

The giant landed deep in the ranks of the monsters but the force of his impact was so great that it obliterated any monsters in his immediate vicinity. Any that tried to fill the gap to attack him were easily felled by his drakonbone lance as he got back on his feet.

Unfortunately, this was just in time to see his father towering over him and his right arm cocked back in preparation to smash him into oblivion with a powerful punch. Gritting his teeth for the agony that the powerful blow to come would bring, he was caught completely by surprise when a massive blade of ice cut Tartarus' right arm clean off at the shoulder.

The god of the pit's scream of agony shook his entire realm.

Thankfully, it lasted for only a moment before the protogenos simply grew a new arm. Turning, he faced his latest foe.

Standing on a rise a short distance away from the protogenos was Koios, son of Ouranos, Titan of Farsight, Intellect and Knowledge. He stood resplendent in his Stygian Iron armor and his frozen sword held at the ready.

_So you have foolishly chosen to betray us as well, Koios?_

"Betray you, Tartarus?" The Lord of the North replied as he slashed his sword horizontally through the air and sending a storm of icicles at the protogenos. "I do not believe I ever swore loyalty to you or for that matter, Mother's, cause."

Tartarus was unfazed by the frozen barrage, and with a sweep of his left arm unleashed a wave of darkness that consumed the incoming attack and surged towards the Titan heedless of the innumerable monsters between them.

The Titan responded by making an inhuman leap, his sword poised to impale the primordial's avatar.

"I'm here as part of no betrayal. I'm here to help my family!" The swordsman roared as he fell upon the Father of Giants from on high.

The god of the pit snorted and raised his arm to bat the Titan out of the air when Damasen tackled him from behind. Despite the giant's size, he was unable to trip the avatar and only managed to cause him to stumble. This was distraction enough however as it allowed Koios to plunge his sword deeply into Tartarus' head.

The primordial's scream of agony once more shook the plane.

* * *

Bob could only look on in wonder as his brother Koios, of all beings, joined the fight on their side.

_What in the Void?_ He couldn't help but think. His brother had been one of Kronos' most loyal lieutenants. His hatred of the Olympians was second to none. _So why is he fighting for Olympus?_

"He isn't." A youthful voice said from his right. Turning to see who it was, Bob spotted a little girl dressed in a gothic lolita dress standing clutching a long wrapped parcel. He recognized her immediately, this was his little niece, the protogenos of Time and Space, Ophis the Great Serpent. "Didn't you hear him? He's fighting for family. He's fighting for me and you."

In the background, Bob was aware that Koios had stuck true and managed to deeply wound Tartarus. It was hard not to when the Lord of all the creatures of darkness let out a world shaking cry.

Abruptly turning to face the fight against Tartarus, he saw Koios pull out his blade and kicking off the avatar's breastplate to execute a flip that brought him safely out of range as the abyssal god unleashed an explosion of dark power that obliterated everything around him. The protogenos glowered at Koios for a moment, before Damasen looking singed from the explosion stabbed at his knee with his lance and redirected his attention.

"You convinced him to come fight this losing battle, niece?" Bob asked.

"We haven't lost yet." Ophis insisted. "Especially not if you take this, uncle."

Turning back to the girl, Bob eyed the package.

For a moment he was gripped with indecision. He knew what accepting the spear, what else could it be, meant. It would be tantamount to swearing himself to her service. Could he allow himself to do that? The last two times he'd served someone else, he'd been used as a tool in a war and then as a mere janitor. Could he bring himself to risk such a fate again?

Koios' grunt of pain as he was hit by a beam of darkness that Tartarus sent his way gave him his answer.

"Hand that over." Bob said as he took the spear, the wrapping paper around it disintegrating as he touched and attuned himself with his new symbol of power. It was a thing of beauty, a shaft of the new divine metal, Primordial Electrum, with the designs of twin serpents coiling down its length. At its tip was a broom head, much to his amusement, but which at his prompting transformed into a broad spearhead.

"Thank you, Ophis." Bob said with a nod as he raised his new spear over his head like a javelin. "For this and for all the times you were nice to me in Hades' palace."

"I wish I could have done more." The young protogenos said apologetically.

She was so adorable that he was tempted to ruffle her hair. Now was not the time and place though. Not when Damasen and Koios were playing a game of cat and mouse with Tartarus as he tried to suck them into the whirlpool of darkness that was his face, and barely avoiding that fate by running through the ranks of the monstrous hordes and using them as shields.

"You can make it up to me later." The Piercer told her as he sent his new spear flying. It struck the older protogenos' shoulder and the blow sent him stumbling back.

_Iapetus!_ He roared as he reached for the spear, only for it to fly back out of his wounded shoulder, through his reaching hand and back into Bob's own.

Hissing in pain, the Father of the Giants leveled a hate filled glare at the Titan, only to be distracted as he noticed who was standing next to him.

_Ophis! How are you in my domain!?_ He demanded as he unleashed a shockwave of darkness to force Damasen and Koios back as they tried to close with him in his distraction.

"You forget, _Brother_ ," Ophis spat the last word, like it pained her to admit the relation. "I am Time and Space embodied, there is nowhere I cannot go."

Despite not raising her voice, it nevertheless carried across the battlefield. At it, the monstrous hordes stilled and as one flinched away from the Doors, terrified of her presence.

In a whisper that only Bob heard however, she added. "Gotta thank Leo for that signal booster."

Tartarus snorted at her declaration. _Grandstand all you want, child. Your efforts are in vain. Now that you've foolishly stepped foot into my domain, I'll kill you._

Immediately, he activated his Essence Absorption by creating a massive vortex of darkness that sucked in hundreds of hapless monsters. Ophis however just stepped in front of Bob and Small Bob, weathering the suction without the slightest hint of strain.

_Wha-_ Tartarus began, only to be interrupted as Damasen and Bob struck. The giant having gotten back onto his drakon at some point, had ridden past his father's immense avatar and cut deeply into side. Not to be outdone, Bob had sent his spear flying once more and destroyed the protogenos' left knee.

As the Pit of Evil stumbled from being grievously wounded twice in quick succession, Koios unleashed a immense ice beam that struck him square on the chest and sent him toppling over.

"Your Essence Absorption can't effect something without a fixed point in timespace, Tartarus." Koios explained proudly, as he conjured a bed of icicles to impale the protogenos' avatar as it pushed itself to its feet. "With the Dimensional Armor I helped Ophis develop, you can't hurt her."

_Fools! The lot of you are FOOLS!_ Tartarus bellowed as the ground around his avatar exploded and a pillar of dark power rose into the air. A moment later, it stepped out not only fully restored but also enshrouded in a visible aura of darkness. _I'll destroy all of you._

"You can try." Koios taunted as he slashed his sword through the air in rapid motions, sending a storm of ice blades flying at the protogenos.

Tartarus simply activated his Essence Absorption, absorbing the attack without taking damage and slowly sucking Koios into himself. Damasen tried to charge his father to distract him, but was held at bay by a surge of monsters. Bob threw his spear at Tartarus but a flock of Stymphalian birds threw themselves into its path, blocking it from hitting its target.

Fortunately for the Lord of the North, there was one ally on the battlefield that was not so easily thwarted. With a burst of black and white light, Ophis transformed into her true form and threw her massive bulk into the side of Tartarus' equally huge avatar.

The physical impact alone was enough to disrupt Tartarus' ability, but Ophis wasn't about to let the opening pass so easily. As she climbed into the air, she beat her wings and slammed her tail into his body, staggering him further. All the while she bathed him in her black and white flames.

The Lord of all the creatures of darkness however was not so easily defeated and with his own burst of dark flames he pushed Ophis' flames off his body. Raising his arms towards the circling Great Serpent he used his flames to push back against her own inferno.

Together the light from their immense flames brought more illumination to the Pit than it had seen in an age.

* * *

At the sight, Koios could only look on in terrified awe as the two powerful protogenoi fought a contest of power leagues beyond his own as their streams of fire pushed against one another.

It also filled him with immense pride. He'd known since he'd learned of his niece's parentage and nature that she'd be powerful one day, but to actually see it for himself? It filled him with a sense of pride that he'd not had in eons. Especially since he knew he had as her one time mentor played a small part in her reaching this level of power.

He however didn't let his pride or the lightshow of the battle between the protogenoi distract him from the true objective of this battle, and cutting through the monstrous chaff of Tartarus' forces, he strode up to Iapetus as his brother continued to hold onto the button for the Doors of Death.

"How long?"

"Six more minutes." Iapetus informed him as he snatched his spear out of the air after its latest foray into the monstrous army where it had significantly thinned its front ranks.

A roar signified the return of Damasen and his drakon as he rode through the monsters, slaying any foolish enough to come within range of his lance or his mount's many natural weapons.

"Six minutes might be too long." The giant commented as he gestured with his lance to the dueling protogenoi. It seemed that despite Ophis' best efforts, Tartarus had overwhelmed her flames and she had been forced to fly out of the way just moments before his infernal firestorm would have consumed her.

_Not on my watch._ Koios thought to himself, as he charged the older primordial. Damasen falling in behind him, they barreled through the monster army and zeroed in on Tartarus where he was launching fire and shadow bolts at Ophis that forced her to swerve through the air in complex evasive maneuvers.

They closed within ten feet of the son of Chaos when he spotted them out of the corner of his eye and with a dismissive tap of his foot unleashed a wave of dark energy that sent them both flying.

Reorienting himself in midair to ensure a good landing, Koios watched as Ophis began to counterattack by firing beams of power at Tartarus, only for him to easily protect himself from them with conjured shields of darkness. He also noted that Iapetus had tried to launch his spear to assist their niece but had been forced to abort his attempt and shift his focus to defending himself as no less than their half-brother Antaeus stepped forward to face him.

He landed well, incidentally crushing a manticore in the process, and was back on his feet and sprinting towards the land bound protogenos again in seconds. The bane of Ares falling in at his side once more, they cut their way through the innumerable lesser giants, empousai and other monsters in their way like so much fodder.

Sensing their approach, Tartarus once more released a wave of dark power to force them away. However, this time Koios had a plan. Conjuring a thick wedge of ice in front of Damasen and himself, they weathered the corrosive power of the wave of darkness. Unfortunately, it seemed their clever plan did not go unnoticed and the Father of the Giants was ready for them. As following directly behind his wave of darkness was another of lava. Unable to withstand the intense heat of the molten rock, the shield of ice sublimated into steam and Koios and Damasen were swept away, suffering painful burns in the process.

* * *

Ophis could only look on worriedly as her uncle and nephew were swept up in a tsunami of molten earth. She would have helped them, but she was currently too preoccupied with avoiding being hit by Tartarus' fire and shadow bolts to do so.

_I say again, Ophis, you are a fool to attempt to fight me here!_ Her brother taunted. _Here I reign supreme. There is no way that you could possibly defeat me._

To an extent he was right. Within the Pit of Evil, Tartarus was at his most powerful. It was after all his very being. Everything within, the earth, the air, all the elements, everything was part of him and under his control.

_That gives me an idea._ Ophis thought to herself, as a vicious smirk spread across her reptilian face, exposing her fangs.

" **If you're so proud of your domain, Brother, then what will you do when I do this?"**

As she finished speaking, she focused her power on a dozen points some distance from the battlefield which was promptly engulfed in massive domes of black and white energy that reduced everything within to nothingness.

In response, Tartarus screamed in agony shaking the plane once more even as chunks of his avatar began to spontaneously disintegrate.

Far below her, Damasen had just finished digging his way out of the freshly cooled earth and was looking at the figure of his beleaguered father in awe.

"She's attacking the very plane of Tartarus to hurt him!"

_Smart of me, huh?_ Ophis gloated to herself even as decided to add to the Pit of Evil's misery by firing a massive spiraling beam of power at his avatar that tore its way through its torso.

That seemed to do the trick. The agony that the attacks dealt him becoming too much for him to bear, Tartarus' avatar began to fall apart.

_Y-you're coming with me._ He stammered out as his legs crumbled away below his knees and the mighty avatar fell to the ground with a bone rattling impact. Raising his rapidly decomposing arm, he stretched it towards Ophis as she lazily circled his prone form.

Using the last of his rapidly dwindling focus, he distorted the space around her. Ophis' eyes widened in surprise at the sudden move, and she desperately dove to avoid the attack.

She managed mostly, but the tip of her tail was caught in the collapsing space. The force of which was so immense and the effect so esoteric, that it collapsed even her Dimensional Armor and crushed the relatively fragile flesh beneath and showering the blasted plains of Tartarus below with her golden ichor.

Tartarus let out a satisfied but pained laugh as his avatar finally broke down into nothingness.

Ophis ignored him. The pain from her wound was too intense. It was unlike anything that Ophis had ever felt in her young life. It was thus no wonder that she lost control of her flight and crashed to the ground far below. She had thankfully retained enough control to steer herself in the direction of the Doors of Death where her family was clustered.

Her impact with the ground flattened an entire army of monsters and threw up a huge cloud of dust and debris. Not that Ophis cared either way, biting back tears she reverted to her human guise and surveyed the extent of her injuries. Both her legs were so badly crushed that they were nothing more than a couple of bleeding messes.

"Ophis!" Uncle Koios cried out in worry as he fell to a knee at her side, the giant Damasen following suit a moment later.

She offered them both a smile. "No need to worry."

Damasen began examining her legs and she winced as he gently poked her mangled flesh.

"I just got careless." She told her disbelieving uncle. "I won't make the same mistake again."

"Is she well enough to move?" Uncle Koios asked her nephew.

Damasen looked hesitant in the bright light of yet another of her energy spheres as it ate away at the plane of Tartarus.

"I'm good enough." Ophis insisted, "Uncle, you'll just need to carry me for now."

"You need to focus on healing!" Damasen insisted, gesturing to her legs as yet another of her destructive spheres took its toll on the plane.

"I can't let up." Ophis explained as her Uncle gently picked her up. "If I do Tartarus will recover enough to create a new avatar and destroy us."

Damasen looked conflicted but eventually gave a resigned sigh. "Fine. But no more direct combat for you." He insisted. "We'll fall back to the Doors and you can provide support from there."

Ophis nodded, and the group moved back to the elevator. Damasen and his drakon mount clearing the way of the first few monsters brave enough to charge into the crater created by Ophis' crash landing to engage them.

"Two minutes." Bob said, as he pulled his spear out of Antaeus' head where he pinned the giant feet up from the ground and against the side of the elevator.

Suddenly a pack of hellhounds ran full speed out of the circling monster hordes, perhaps smelling blood they zeroed in on the wounded Ophis. Unfortunately for them, they had failed to account for the incredibly protective uncle in whose arms she was currently being carried. With naught but a chilling glare, he froze the beasts solid and with a thought shattered their frozen bodies into a million pieces.

"It looks like Tartarus is recovered enough to send these small fry our way." The cold wielding Titan noted as he carefully put Ophis down by the side of the Doors of Death.

Riding the Maeonian Drakon through the ranks of a large group of empousai and Laistrygonian giants that were swarming towards them, Damasen added his two cents.

"Manipulating monsters to attack is easy. Their minds are always so full of aggression, the slightest nudge is all you need."

"Less talk, more fighting." Uncle Bob said as he launched his spear like a ballistic missile, its wake destroying monsters by the dozens on its way to spear Geryon in the chest before shooting back into his waiting hand.

Meanwhile a group of empousai tried to sneak past the formidable defensive line that the three older immortals had set up by coming in from the side to attack the vulnerable Ophis, only to be caught off guard by Small Bob as he leapt in front of the wounded protogenos with a roar.

Ophis gave the feline Skeleton Warrior a nod in thanks as it tore the vampiric monsters to shreds.

After that, the battle descended into a violent slaughter. For all their numbers, the monsters lacked anything resembling cohesion and just attacked in mindless waves. Often, they tore through each other in their mad rush to attack Ophis and her family. In contrast, the defenders watched each other's backs.

Whenever one of them was about to be flanked, another would intercept the offending monster. When the numbers began to overwhelm them Ophis would deploy one of her disintegrating spheres nearby and thin out their ranks significantly.

Despite this however, the number of monsters were unending and wave after endless wave threw themselves at them.

Ophis sensing that they were reaching their limits, turned to her Uncle Bob.

"How long?"

"Almost there." Bob said with a smile. "Three. Two. One. They're free."

With a victorious smirk, he released the button holding the Doors and it vanished to parts unknown. Ophis almost fell as the thing she was leaning on disappeared but Small Bob caught her against his side before she could.

Uncle Bob gave his pet a thankful smile, before turning to the still massive horde of monsters.

"Now that I'm free to use both hands, why don't I show you lot why I'm called **the Piercer**!"

As he roared the invocation of his title, Uncle Bob plunged his spear deep into the ground below him. For an instant nothing happened, and then suddenly the whole world exploded as what seemed like the entire surface of the plane of Tartarus was shattered from the force of his attack. One which struck right through all of its many layers to dig deeply into its very Essence.

A wordless roar of agony echoed across the plane as Tartarus reeled from the deepest wound he had _ever_ suffered.

Without waiting for her brother's inevitable retribution, Ophis enshrouded her family in her power and with a burst of effort teleported away.

In their wake, they left behind a shattered and humbled Pit of Evil.

* * *

After the battle in the House of Hades, the Seven, Nico, Reyna and Coach Hedge decided they deserved a break and so had sat down on the hillside that Hazel's magic had deposited them as the Necromanteion had collapsed to grab some lunch and relax.

It was to this scene, that the ragged quartet of immortals and their two animal companions rematerialized to. To say that this left the nine demigods and one satyr shocked would have been an understatement.

For a moment, no one moved as everyone just exchanged startled looks

The stillness was broken however as Ophis began throwing up. Immediately, Nico and the other three immortals rushed to her side.

"Sorry Small Bob," Ophis told the cat as she used her power to clean up the mess she'd made, before turning to the others. "Remind me to pay Tartarus back for fighting my teleport and throwing us off course temporally."

"You should just be grateful that we managed to get out at all, Niece." Koios told her sternly.

"Indeed, Aunt." Damasen agreed as he began healing her legs.

"Ophis? What happened?" Nico demanded as he eyed his sister's injuries. "You're injured? How?"

Ophis shot her brother a slightly guilty smile. She felt bad about making him so worried.

"Thanks to Leo and his teleportation signal booster," She began her explanation, giving the son of Hephaestus a nod and earning him looks of confusion from his friends. "I managed to figure out how to sneak into Tartarus. So I did."

"Why!?" Percy, surprisingly, asked. "It's-"

"One of the worse places in the cosmos." Ophis finished for him, while shooting him a sympathetic look for all he had endured in that hellish plane. "But that's why I _had_ to go there and rescue Uncle Koios."

"She sensed that I had reformed," The Titanic Lord of the North jumped in. "And feared Tartarus and Gaea would use me as a hostage against her."

"I was worried they'd torture you, actually."

The Titan shrugged. "The same thing really."

"And you got injured trying to get out?" Nico cut in before Ophis could get more distracted.

"Not exactly." Ophis offered sheepishly.

"Then what?"

"Well, when I found Uncle Koios, he told me that Uncle Bob, Percy and Annabeth were there too and were trying to free the Doors of Death."

"So you decided to help us?" Annabeth concluded, her face paling at the mere thought.

"Yeah." Ophis agreed. "Unfortunately, we only got there after you and Percy had already got into the elevator so the only thing left to do was help Damasen and Bob defend the Doors from Tartarus."

Percy paled and Annabeth gasped out, "You fought Tartarus?"

Uncle Koios burst out into a prideful laugh at that.

"She didn't just fight him, he beat him!" He boasted.

Uncle Bob promptly smacked him on the shoulder and added, "Need I remind you, Brother, that she had her legs crushed doing that."

All the mortals looked at Ophis in awe, except Nico who instead seemed to be on the verge of hysterical worry.

"There. That should do for now." Damasen said as he finished his healing. "So long as you promise to not use too much of your power for the time being."

Ophis nodded. With this latest defeat, Gaea's plans would be delayed for some time. She'd have time to recover before the next battle.

"Ophis, little sister, can you promise me something too?" Nico asked her pleadingly, grasping her hands tightly as he did.

"Maybe?" The little girl replied uncertainly.

"Can you promise to not do something as reckless as fighting another protogenoi again?"

Ophis looked away.

"Why? Why can't you promise that!?" Nico shouted.

His hysterics put the other immortals on edge. Damasen took a step towards him, looking ready to restrain him. Uncle Koios narrowed his eyes dangerously and tightened his grip on his sword. Uncle Bob raised his spear into a fighting stance. Even Small Bob and the Maeonian Drakon were agitated, and hissed warningly.

Nico seemed ready to ignore all this and looked ready to try to push the matter until Hazel put a restraining hand on his shoulder. The two children of the Lord of the dead exchanged a long look, before Nico huffed and letting go of Ophis' hands to step behind his mortal sister.

"Can you at least promise that you'll be more careful next time?" The daughter of Pluto asked.

"I will." Ophis promised, before sending Nico a apologetic glance. "I promise I will, Big Brother."

Nico didn't look fully mollified, but nevertheless came forward to accept the hand that Ophis stretched out to him. She gave him a reassuring squeeze. "Help me up."

The son of Hades wordlessly did so.

"I just want you to be safe." The Italian born boy told her, his voice full of tenderness.

"I know." Ophis replied just as tenderly.

"Umm." Jason Grace said, gaining everyone's attention. "Sorry to interrupt, but we still need to decide on what to do now."

Before anyone could say anything, Uncle Bob spoke up. "Koios and I will be escorting Ophis home to Ogygia and ensuring she gets her bedrest. Damasen as her healer, would it be possible for you to follow?"

"It would be my pleasure." The giant agreed with a nod.

Ophis couldn't fight the pout at that. While she could see the sense in what her uncles were doing, she didn't like how they were making decisions for her. She was old enough to make her own choices!

"That just leaves the rest us." Piper said for the demigods and their satyr chaperone.

"Yeah about that. There's still the twenty-million-peso question," Leo said. "We got this slightly used forty-foot-tall statue of Athena. What do we do with it?"

Reyna squinted at the Athena Parthenos.

"As fine as it looks on this hill, I didn't come all this way to admire it. According to Annabeth, it must be returned to Camp Half-Blood by a Roman leader. Do I understand correctly?"

Annabeth nodded. "I had a dream down in…you know, Tartarus. I was on Half-Blood Hill, and Athena's voice said, I must stand here. The Roman must bring me."

"It makes sense," Nico said. "The statue is a powerful symbol. A Roman returning it to the Greeks…that could heal the historic rift, maybe even heal the gods of their split personalities."

"It will," Ophis confirmed. "The statue is also inherently magical so by bringing it back to Camp, you'll also bolster its wards."

"Now, hold on." The satyr said speaking up, looking nervously towards Ophis as he offered a counterargument. "I like peace as much as the next satyr—"

"You hate peace," Leo said.

"The point is, Valdez," The nature spirit shot back, his fear forgotten and his fire apparently restored by being interrupted by one of his charges. "We're only—what, a few days from Athens? We've got an army of giants waiting for us there. We went to all the trouble of saving this statue—"

"I went to most of the trouble," Annabeth reminded him.

"—because that prophecy called it the giants' bane," the coach continued. "So why aren't we taking it to Athens with us? It's obviously our secret weapon." He eyed the Athena Parthenos. "It looks like a ballistic missile to me. Maybe if Valdez strapped some engines to it—"

Piper cleared her throat. "Uh, great idea, Coach, but a lot of us have had dreams and visions of Gaea rising at Camp Half-Blood…"

She unsheathed her dagger Katoptris through which the Fates granted her prophetic visions.

"Since we got back to the ship," Piper said, "I've been seeing some bad stuff in the knife. The Roman legion is almost within striking distance of Camp Half-Blood. They're gathering reinforcements: spirits, eagles, wolves."

"Octavian," Reyna growled. "I told him to wait."

"And you expected him to listen?" Ophis cut in. "He's a snake in the grass. Trust me I know snakes."

The mortals all nodded.

Piper turned the blade of her knife. "Unfortunately, that's not the worst of it. I saw images of a possible future—the camp in flames, Roman and Greek demigods lying dead. And Gaea…"

Her voice failed her.

"So Reyna takes the statue," Percy said. "And we continue on to Athens."

Leo shrugged. "Cool with me. But, uh, a few pesky logistical problems. We got what—two weeks until that Roman feast day when Gaea is supposed to rise?"

"The Feast of Spes," Jason said. "That's on the first of August. Today is—"

"July eighteenth," Frank offered. "So, yeah, from tomorrow, exactly fourteen days."

Hazel winced. "It took us eighteen days to get from Rome to here—a trip that should've only taken two or three days, max."

"So, given our usual luck," Leo said, "maybe we have enough time to get the Argo II to Athens, find the giants, and stop them from waking Gaea. Maybe. But how is Reyna supposed to get this massive statue back to Camp Half-Blood before the Greeks and Romans put each other through the blender? She doesn't even have her pegasus anymore. Uh, sorry—"

"Fine," Reyna snapped. Clearly the Roman praetor still had hard feelings against the son of Hephaestus for his role in attacking New Rome. Despite that, with a deep breath, she managed to calm herself and continue. "Unfortunately, Leo is correct. I don't see how I can transport something so large. I was assuming—well, I was hoping you all would have an answer."

"The Labyrinth," Hazel said. "I—I mean, if Pasiphaë really has reopened it, and I think she has…" She looked at Percy apprehensively. "Well, you said the Labyrinth could take you anywhere. So maybe—"

"No." Percy and Annabeth spoke in unison, even as all the immortals shook their heads. This fact caught the attention of the mortals and they looked at them questioningly.

Ophis, tired of being their spokesperson, nudged her Uncle Bob to explain.

"Daedalus' maze has only been newly restored. Its passages will be in the middle of reestablishing themselves and thus in constant flux. There will be no safe passage through them. Not until it settles."

"Well, what other options do we have then?" Reyna asked, looking at wits' end.

"I'll go with Reyna," Nico said. "I'm not one of the seven of the Great Prophecy and I can transport the statue with shadow-travel."

Ophis felt the blood in her veins freeze as her Big Brother stepped forward like this. Suddenly she was struck by a vision of the difficult trails he would face if he followed through with this decision. She was so overcome by the vision that she missed it as Nico defended his ability to carry out the task and Reyna finalizing the decision.

Knowing that she could not convince her stubborn brother to change his mind, Ophis put a hand into a pocket of her dress and quickly coalesced her power into something to help him.

"Big Brother-"

"Ophis, no." Uncle Koios said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "This is _his_ journey. Do not try to interfere."

With sad sigh, the young protogenos nodded. She knew her uncle was right.

This exchange caused a number of the demigods to look at each other in confusion, though a handful sported looks of epiphany. Hazel and Nico, the best informed of them all, looked at her with sympathetic smiles.

"Don't worry, Little Sister." Nico told her confidently. "I'll be fine."

Ophis just nodded.

"Coach Hedge," Frank blurted out suddenly.

Percy stared at him, looking confused. "Uh, what, Frank?"

"The coach is the best choice," Frank said. "The only choice. He's a good fighter. He's a certified protector. He'll get the job done."

"A faun," Reyna said skeptically.

"Satyr!" barked the coach. "And, yeah, I'll go. Besides, when you get to Camp Half-Blood, you'll need somebody with connections and diplomatic skills to keep the Greeks from attacking you. Just let me go make a call—er, I mean, get my baseball bat."

The Great Serpent shot the son of Mars a knowing smile that had him blushing, and everyone looking at him curiously. Well, the mortals were. Her Uncles were looking at him with suspicion.

_I wonder why?_

Nico rose. "I should go, too, and rest before the first passage. We'll meet at the statue at sunset."

Once he was gone, Hazel frowned. "He's acting strangely. I'm not sure he's thinking this through."

"He'll be okay," Jason said.

Ophis nodded. "I know what's troubling him, Hazel. He'll be fine."

"I hope the two of you are right." She passed her hand over the ground. Diamonds broke the surface—a glittering milky way of stones. "We're at another crossroads. The Athena Parthenos goes west. The Argo II goes east. I hope we chose correctly."

Percy looked troubled, considering the outcome of the last battle where they might have sealed the Doors of Death but only after the giants had used it to return, it was understandable.

_Perhaps this will help._

"I cannot answer that, Hazel. But I can say that you've made good progress. Four giants are already permanently dead."

All the demigods shot her surprised looks.

"Who?" Percy asked, eagerly.

"I made sure Otis and Ephialtes' deaths were permanent. Plus I killed Alcyoneus in battle recently and I've ensured that Clytius' death at Hecate and Hazel's hands will stick as well."

"You're the best!" Leo said, with a ear splitting smile on his face. The other demigods agreed.

Damasen stepped forward then and put a hand on Ophis' shoulder.

"Ophis, now that everything has been decided, I think it's best we make our move."

Both her uncles nodded in agreement. Even Hazel and the demigods looked like that thought the same.

"Not that we don't like you around," Leo explained. "But you just got better after looking like you had an unpleasant meeting with a trash compactor. You really should go get some R and R."

"Go take a break and get better, Ophis." Hazel agreed.

Sighing, Ophis nodded. "Fine."

Sending one last longing and worried look at the Argo II where Nico was, Ophis teleported away with the other immortals.

* * *

**And that's another chapter down!**

**I'm of two minds about this chapter. On one hand, I think I did a decent job on the battle part of the chapter. On the other, I think the aftermath was a bit too long. Yet, at the same time, I can't see Ophis not staying around to listen and provide input on the demigods' planning their next move. Not when Nico is integral to it and her own heavy investment towards their success aka victory over Gaea.**

**So yeah, not very satisfied with this chapter.**

**Oh well, it's done and good enough I guess.**

**Till next time.**


	18. Final Preparations

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Chapter 17: Final Preparations**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

In the heart of the temple city on the phantasmal isle of Ogygia there was a massive coliseum. Typically used as a training ground where the armies of the Great Serpent could engage in mock battles while their compatriots watched from the stands to offer criticism and for pure entertainment.

Today however the battle being fought here was unlike anything that had ever graced the amphitheater. Inside the distorted space within the arena, the mighty protogenos of Time and Space, Ophis herself, was sparring against her uncles the Titans Koios and Bob.

All three of these monumentally powerful beings were in their true forms, and the only thing keeping the enraptured audiences watching the fight from being reduced to ashes by the sight was the special magic built into the arena.

Ophis was soaring through the air, her immeasurably immense wings allowing her to move her serpentine body through the air with sinuous grace. The audience "Ooh" and "Ah"'d at the mere sight of her form and the sheer majesty and power it exuded.

Koios in turn looked liked a fifty feet tall humanoid blizzard, wielding a sword that was the size of a small glacier. He was majestic in his own way, but also struck everyone who saw him with the primal fear of the deadly cold.

Like his brother, Bob the Piercer was a fifty feet tall humanoid being. However unlike his brother his skin was made entirely of interlocking spears and brooms with prominent horn like outgrowths at his joints and along the vertebrae of his spine. He wielded his spear and symbol of power which had taken the form of a sixty feet long column of flaming power.

"What did I miss?" Calypso asked as she walked into the VIP Box at the upper most level of the amphitheater. It was a sealed room with air-conditioning; plush sofas; a bar stocked with all kinds of foods and beverages; and most important of all, a set of wall to ceiling windows that allowed an unrivaled view of the arena.

Not that the sorceress paid any of that any attention, she was currently too distracted by the information she'd stepped out to receive on the current situation in the war against Gaea. Especially, the dangerous situation that the man she loved was just about to get himself into. That said, she was still Ophis' executive assistant and she had appearances to maintain.

"Not much," Fidi said, while looking at her knowingly. "The mistress and her uncles have mainly just been exchanging potshots at the moment."

"Testing out each other's abilities?"

The handmaiden of Ophis nodded.

"Not any more." Damasen said, as Ophis breathed a large fireball at the space between her two uncles which exploded into a massive explosion that sent both Titans flying.

This was greeted by cheers from the spectating audience of dracaena, telekhines, giant snakes, dragons, drakons and demigods. In the VIP box, Fidi and Lily cheered too. Though Damasen and Calypso both refrained. The former out of disapproval over the match itself, it being carried out against his advice as Ophis' healer for her to not overexert herself so soon after recovering from the injuries she sustained fighting Tartarus.

As for Calypso. She was just too worried about Leo to feel cheerful about anything.

"Why is this necessary?" The displeased giant asked, gesturing at the battle which now saw Ophis spiraling through the air while raining down balls of energy at her opponents.

"It's good for troop morale." Fidi replied. "And it'll help the mistress' self-confidence."

The bane of Ares gave a grudging grunt of agreement at that.

Meanwhile in the arena, the two Titans had taken very interesting approaches to dealing with Ophis' barrage. Koios had countered by releasing a blizzard of massive hail that intercepted the projectiles targeting him. In contrast, Bob began thrusting his spear in such rapid succession and with such great speed that he actually managed to dispel all the attacks headed his way.

Despite the failure of her attack, the Great Serpent was not about to let up on pressing the offensive. Flapping her wings hard, she unleashed a storm of blades made out of distorted space.

Calypso's eyes widened at that. She couldn't even begin to imagine how someone might even be able to block such an attack.

Apparently she wasn't the only one. The Titans seemed to be equally stumped and instead of standing their ground, began to desperately evade the oncoming storm. They were so busy avoiding being cut to pieces that they were unable to do anything as Ophis swept down to strafe them with her black and white flames.

Caught unprepared, both Titans found themselves enveloped by the flames. They both pulsed their auras in a bid to smother the flames but found to their annoyance that the fires were barely affected.

"Did they honestly think that would work?" Damasen said with a shake of his head. "That might look like flames but it's really Ophis' raw power eating away at everything it touches, it won't be that easy to douse."

Calypso nodded in agreement. Her matron had allowed her to study her flames once in the hopes that the sorceress would be able to duplicate something similar with her own magic. It hadn't led to anything, except the Titaness' seemingly ever growing appreciation of just how deadly Ophis truly was.

As if to prove that point, Koios was overcome by the flames and collapsed, whereupon he was teleported out by the arena's magic to safety. This was met by a massive cheer from the audience even as he reappeared in his usual form next to Damasen, looking a little worse for wear and patting down his still smoldering armor.

The giant gave him a questioning look.

"I'm fine," The Lord of the North reassured the healer, while taking a seat. "No injury except to my pride."

"You're not proud that Mommy is strong?" Lily asked in innocent - _too_ innocent, in Calypso's opinion - confusion.

Koios just chuckled. "Of course I am, little one. But a man must still have pride in his own abilities and being so easily beaten by their prepubescent niece is quite a blow to that."

"I don't get it." Lily just looked genuinely confused now. "And what's prepubescent mean?"

"We'll tell you later, young mistress." Fidi shushed the girl, her eyes glued to the arena.

Where at the moment, Ophis had taken to circling over her remaining opponent and bathing him in her flames.

Bob's armored body was proving resistant to the flames however and he took advantage of this to leap through them with his spear poised to impale Ophis. In spite of the unexpected move, the protogenos reacted quickly and breathed a massive energy beam at him.

Undaunted, Bob soldiered through the deadly beam even as it disintegrated whole chunks of his body. Ophis' eyes widened at the sight and cutting off the beam, made to fly away. However, she had reacted too late and the Piercer's spear impaled her.

As her massive form crashed to the ground from the seemingly deadly blow, the crowd gasped in horror.

The VIP box was however filled with a sense of exasperation.

"Fools." Koios said, giving voice to the group's collective opinion on the crowd.

The reason why became clear as the fallen Ophis suddenly faded away into nothingness, revealing that it had been nothing but an illusionary clone. Bob seemed just as surprised as the crowd however, though considering what he was weathering before he'd struck he had a decent case for being too distracted to notice, and barely put up a guard as Ophis' flames that had previously been scattered throughout the arena suddenly shot towards him and coalesced into said protogenos with her coils constricting him.

He struggled against her for a moment, but the Great Serpent just tightened her grip causing him to gasp.

"He's not escaping." Calypso observed. "To do so would require the strength to shift creation itself. Not even a Titan has that kind of power."

Koios nodded in agreement.

"Mommy is so~ cool!" Lily cheered, bouncing in her seat.

"I yield!" Bob called out as he realized the futility of his situation.

At his declaration, the crowd exploded into rapturous cheers.

* * *

As her Uncle Bob yielded, Ophis felt a rush of pride. She had just defeated two immensely powerful and vastly more experienced immortals in battle. Sure, it was just a friendly spar but they had still went a lot further than they ever had.

This victory was like a shot in her arm to her confidence which had been shaken by her fight with Tartarus. Sure, she'd won that fight but she'd also been badly injured doing so and likely wouldn't have managed that if not for her uncles and Damasen fighting at her side too.

That's why she'd insisted on this spar, even over the giant healer's objection. She was going to fight Gaea soon and she _needed_ to know that she could pull it off.

All these thoughts rushed through her mind in the time that Uncle Bob caught his breath and the two teleported to the VIP box where the rest of her family awaited.

As she expected she was immediately tackle hugged by her excitable daughter, even as everyone offered their congratulations.

Blushing lightly at the praise, she just smiled shyly.

She noticed however that Calypso seemed jittery.

"Claypso."

"Yes, My Lady?"

"Don't worry. Leo will be fine." Ophis reassured the Titaness.

"I'm sure he will." The sorceress replied while sporting a pretty blush.

_Do all people in love look so cute?_ Ophis thought to herself in amusement.

Turning from her lovestruck assistant, the young protogenos faced her handmaiden. "Fidi, how's Nico doing?"

"He's recovered from his fight with Bryce Lawrence."

Ophis breathed a sigh of relief at this. That fight had her particularly worried about her Big Brother and it had taken her family a great deal of effort to keep her from interfering.

"That's good. Has Pegasus agreed to our bargain?"

"Yes," Fidi nodde. "In exchange for clearing his debt we purchased from Limos, he will assist in transporting the Athena Parthenos. In fact, they should be arriving at Camp Half-Blood in a few hours."

Ophis breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been worried that the Father of Pegasi would not agree to help, debt to her or not.

"Any news on the Seven?"

"They have just arrived in Athens." Calypso said, picking up the briefing. "They should be engaging the Gigantes shortly."

_So it's finally time._ Ophis realized with a sigh.

Uncle Koios put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. When he turned to look at her, he offered her a reassuring smile.

"Do not fret, Ophis. We're ready."

Damasen nodded. "Koios is right. As your healer I can say with certainty that you've more than recovered from her battle with Tartarus."

"And the troops are raring to go." Fidi added, gesturing to the amphitheater below which was emptying quickly even as runners ran all over the place distributing weapons. Clearly someone had already began spreading the news that the time for the final battle had come.

Taking a deep fortifying breath, Ophis gave the fateful order. "Ready The Rock. We go to war."

* * *

**And that's one more chapter down.**

**We're nearing the end here folks. Hope you've enjoyed the ride so far. It's only the final battle and the epilogue after that left.**

**That being the case I don't really have anything to say except that I hope to see you there.**

**Till next time.**


	19. The Final Battle

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Chapter 18: The Final Battle**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

In a room with a high vaulted ceiling held up Corinthian columns, walls depicting the history of the Olympian gods painted in the classical Greek style and occupied by futuristic terminals with holographic displays manned by Telekhines, Dracanae and loyal demigods, Ophis sat on a command throne of solid black marble as the bridge crew around her finished the final checks for the Rock's maiden battle.

She paid her diligent subjects no attention though, trusting that they knew their jobs and would carry them out flawlessly. Instead, all her attention was focused on the screens in front of her. They displayed the scenes from the war against Gaea in the world outside of Ogygia.

She watched the screen on the right first as the blood from Percy Jackson's bleeding nose fell to hit the earth, joining the blood already shed from the injured leg of his girlfriend Annabeth Chase. It was only a single drop of blood that fell from his chin, but it was enough. It hit the ground between his feet and sizzled like water on a frying pan. With that one innocuous act, the blood of Olympus had watered the ancient stones of the Acropolis and the whole world groaned and shifted as the Earth Mother woke.

Ophis gritted her teeth in frustration, but turned away from that screen to the one on the left. It displayed the goings on around Camp Half-Blood as her Big Brother snuck behind the Roman lines to disable their onagers while Reyna carried the Athena Parthenos the remaining distance to Camp.

She watched as the Roman Praetor delivered the statue just as the two armies of demigods were about to clash. The spirit of the statue and her Big Brother both tried to get them to fight together against the same threat but Gaea stuck her head into things and settled it by ordering her forces to attack. Faced with a common foe, the children of Olympus closed ranks. Greeks stood shoulder to shoulder with Romans as all around them the earth shook and the monstrous auxilia troops that the deluded Roman Augur had hired surged forward to surround the demigods as they prepared to make their final stand on Half-Blood Hill, with the Athena Parthenos as their rallying point.

"My Lady, it's time." The Telekhine captain of the Rock informed her as he stood at attention.

Dismissing her screens, Ophis nodded. "Then launch! It's time to teach my _dear sister_ what it means to pick a fight with Time and Space."

"For Ophis!" The crew roared as the mighty vessel headed to join the battle.

* * *

Standing with his friends in a defensive ring, surrounded by giants, Jason Grace felt despair. He and the rest of the Seven had fought harder than they ever had. At first, they had even been doing okay, thanks in no small part he was sure by the absence of the now dead Otis, Ephialtes, Alcyoneus and Clytius. But the tide quickly turned, with Annabeth and Percy's blood touching the ground of the Acropolis Gaea had awoken. They'd lost and now they were about to die.

"Don't give up!" Percy encouraged. "The gods will come! I know they will!"

Porphyrion laughed at that. "That is not going to happen, Jackson! We've learned from that interfering Aunt of ours. The whole Athens region has been consecrated to Gaea, the Olympians cannot come even if they wanted to. Not that the cowards would."

If Jason's spirits weren't already near rock bottom, then this would have done the trick.

Leo however didn't seem to agree.

"So that's what that was for!" He declared proudly as he pulled a small cylinder and pressed a big red button on its top.

"Was that supposed to do something, son of Hephaestus?" Mimas mocked as his brethren laughed.

" **It already has."** A serpentine hiss echoed from all around them as a massive shadow of a winged serpent appeared in the air above them.

"I-impossible!" Porphyrion cried out even as the other Gigantes panicked.

His incredulous declaration was met with hissing laughter as the shadow's body coiled into a circular shape and bit its own tail, forming an Ouroborus

"Nothing is impossible to a sufficiently determined and cunning Protogenoi!" Ophis retorted as the space within the circle her shadow had created tore open.

Beyond this gap Jason saw a black space spangled with stars, the palaces of Mount Olympus gleaming silver and gold in the background. From this heavenly peak, an army of gods charged down from on high. The Olympian gods came charging out of the portal on their war chariots, trumpets blaring, swords flaming. Zeus, the king of the gods, led the charge, a javelin of pure electricity crackling in his hand!

In the last second, before the gods reached the Parthenon, they seemed to displace themselves, like they'd jumped through hyperspace. The chariots disappeared. Suddenly Jason and his friends were surrounded by the Olympians, now human-sized, tiny next to the giants, but glowing with power.

Jason shouted and charged Porphyrion.

His friends joined in the carnage.

With their divine parents they engaged their parents' banes and slew them one by one. All while Ophis' symbol burned with power in the sky above, sucking up the golden dust of each slain Gigantes as they fell and cursing them to true death.

Jason was no exception and working in concert with his father they vaporized the would be king of the universe and fed his remains to his greedy aunt.

As they watched his remains get absorbed into Ophis' looming shadowy symbol, Zeus turned to him.

"My son." Zeus clasped Jason's shoulder. "There is so much I would like to tell you…"

The god took a heavy breath, making the air crackle and Jason's new glasses fog up. "Alas, as king of the gods, I must not show favoritism to my children. When we return to the other Olympians, I will not be able to praise you as much as I would like, or give you as much credit as you deserve."

"I don't want praise." Jason's voice quavered. "Just a little time together would be nice. I mean, I don't even know you."

Zeus's gaze was as far away as the ozone layer. "I am always with you, Jason. I have watched your progress with pride, but it will never be possible for us to be…"

He curled his fingers, as if trying to pluck the right words out of the air. "From birth, you were destined to be Hera's – to appease her wrath. Even your name, Jason, was her choice. You did not ask for this. I did not want it. But when I gave you over to her… I had no idea what a good man you would become. Your journey has shaped you, made you both kind and great. You have proven yourself a true hero. The worst however is not over. Come we must discuss what to do next."

* * *

By the time they returned to the Parthenon and the other gods gathering there, there was little evidence of the giants at all. Despite this victory however, the gods didn't look pleased.

There were however exceptions. Ares, ever the battle-maniac, was still riding off the high of the fight and was in a great mood. Oddly enough Hephaestus too looked in good spirits as he examined the artifact that Leo used to allow Ophis to create the portal that even now continued to hang above their heads.

"This- It can't be." The smith god said, sounding shocked and rounding on his son. "Aunt Ophis must like you a great deal Leo to have given you this."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

In answer, the fire god dismantled the device and fished out the gem at its core. The moment the jewel touched his palm, it transformed into a small snake fang. At the sight of which, the assembled gods all gasped.

"This, Leo, is one of Ophis' baby teeth. A part of her being. To gift it to you is a sign of great trust." Hephaestus explained, even as the fang dissolved into gold dust that was absorbed into the Ouroboros high above their heads.

"Ew!" Aphrodite said in disgust, shooting Leo a disgusted look.

"B-baby tooth!?" Zeus stuttered out, looking to his crippled son for confirmation. The adopted son of Thetis just nodded, with a smirk on his face.

Poseidon burst into a laugh at that and was joined by Hades as he disabled the invisibility his helm offered him, to walk forward and pat his youngest brother on the back deprecatingly. "Good job Zeus! If Ophis is losing her baby teeth, you know what _that_ means right?"

"She's going to even _more_ powerful soon." Poseidon chimed in. "And last I checked, she's royally pissed at you."

The assembled gods all shot Zeus smirks as he paled.

Well, all except Athena.

"As interesting as this is, have you all forgotten that Gaea has risen and we will still have a war to fight?"

"Right." Zeus said, recovering some of his composure. "Let's get down to business then."

* * *

As they plummeted to the earth after being literally slapped across the sky all the way from Athens to Half-Blood Hill by his father, Zeus, Jason saw a vast army of monsters spread across the hills – cynocephali, two headed men, wild centaurs, ogres and others he couldn't even name – surrounding two tiny islands of demigods. At the crest of Half-Blood Hill, gathered at the feet of the Athena Parthenos, was the main force of Camp Half-Blood along with the First and Fifth Cohorts, rallied around the golden eagle of the legion. The other three Roman cohorts were in a defensive formation several hundred yards away and seemed to be taking the brunt of the attack.

Even as Jason barked his orders to his friends to help reinforce the beleaguered defenders and joined the fighting himself, he kept one eye on the Argo II as it streaked across the sky in a ball of fire with Leo still on board, shedding burning chunks of mast, hull and armament. Jason didn't see how even fireproof Leo could survive in that inferno, but he had to hope.

"Gods," Nico, who he'd ending up fighting beside, said in horror. "Is everyone okay?"

"Leo …" Jason's voice broke. "He said he had a plan."

The comet disappeared behind the western hills. Jason waited with dread for the sound of an explosion, but he heard nothing over the roar of battle.

Nico met his eyes. "He'll be fine."

"Sure."

"But just in case … For Leo."

"For Leo," Jason agreed. They charged into the fight.

Jason's anger gave him renewed strength, and it spread to all the Greeks and Romans giving them the push they needed. Wild centaurs toppled. Wolf-headed men howled as they were cut to ashes. But the monsters kept coming in wave after endless wave.

Despite that, with the combined might of the Greeks and Romans they were turning the tide when the worst happened. Without any warning, the earth suddenly rippled as if Half-Blood Hill had become a giant water mattress. Demigods fell. Ogres slipped. Centaurs charged face-first into the grass.

_AWAKE_ , a voice boomed all around them.

A hundred yards away, at the crest of the next hill, the grass and soil swirled upward like the point of a massive drill. The column of earth thickened into the twenty-foot-tall figure of a woman – her dress woven from blades of grass, her skin as white as quartz, her hair brown and tangled like tree roots.

" **Little fools."** Gaia the Earth Mother opened her pure green eyes. " **The paltry magic of your statue cannot contain me."**

As she said it, Jason realized why Gaia hadn't appeared until now. The Athena Parthenos had been protecting the demigods, holding back the wrath of the earth, but even Athena's might could only last so long against a primordial goddess.

Fear as palpable as a cold front washed over the demigod army.

"Stand fast!" Piper shouted, her charmspeak clear and loud. "Greeks and Romans, we can fight her together!"

Gaea laughed. She spread her arms and the earth bent towards her – trees tilting, bedrock groaning, soil rippling in waves. Jason rose on the wind, but all around him monsters and demigods alike started to sink into the ground. One of the onagers that Octavian had brought to the battlefield capsized and disappeared into the side of the hill.

"The whole earth is my body," Gaia boomed. "How would you fight the goddess of –"

FOOOOMP!

In a flash of bronze, Gaia was swept off the hillside, snarled in the claws of a fifty-ton metal dragon. Festus, reborn, rose into the sky on gleaming wings, spewing fire from his maw triumphantly. As he ascended, the rider on his back got smaller and more difficult to discern, but Leo's grin was unmistakable.

"Pipes! Jason!" he shouted down. "You coming? The fight is up here!"

* * *

In the skies above Camp Half-Blood, Festus grappled with the earth goddess. Gaea kept disintegrating, trying to trickle back to the ground, but the winds kept her aloft. Festus sprayed her with flames, which seemed to force her into solid form. Meanwhile, from Festus's back, Leo blasted the goddess with flames of his own and hurled insults. "Potty Sludge! Dirt Face! THIS IS FOR MY MOTHER, ESPERANZA VALDEZ!"

His whole body was wreathed in fire. Rain hung in the stormy air, but it only sizzled and steamed around him.

Jason, carrying Piper, zoomed towards them.

Gaea turned into loose white sand, but Jason summoned a squadron of venti who churned around her, constraining her in a cocoon of wind.

The Earth Mother fought back. When she wasn't disintegrating, she lashed out with shrapnel blasts of stone and soil that Jason barely deflected. Stoking the storm, containing Gaea, keeping himself and Piper aloft… Jason had never done anything so difficult. He felt like he was covered in lead weights, trying to swim with only his legs while holding a car over his head. But he had to keep Gaea off the ground.

" **YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME!"** Gaia crumbled to sand, only to get blasted by more flames. Her body melted into a lump of glass, shattered, then re-formed again as human. " **I AM ETERNAL!"**

"Eternally annoying!" Leo yelled, and he urged Festus higher.

Jason and Piper rose with them.

"Get me closer," Piper urged. "I need to be next to her."

"Piper, the flames and the shrapnel –"

"I know."

Jason moved in until they were right next to Gaea. The winds encased the goddess, keeping her solid, but it was all Jason could do to contain her blasts of sand and soil. Her eyes were solid green, like all nature had been condensed into a few spoonfuls of organic matter.

" **FOOLISH CHILDREN!"** Her face contorted with miniature earthquakes and mudslides.

"You are so weary," Piper told the goddess, her voice radiating kindness and sympathy. "Aeons of pain and disappointment weigh on you."

" **SILENCE!"**

The force of Gaea's anger was so great that Jason momentarily lost control of the wind. He would've dropped into free fall, but Festus caught him and Piper in his other huge claw. Amazingly, Piper kept her focus.

"Millennia of sorrow," she told Gaia. "Your husband Ouranos was abusive. Your grandchildren the gods overthrew your beloved children, the Titans. Your other children, the Cyclopes and the Hundred-Handed Ones, were thrown into Tartarus. You are so tired of heartache."

" **LIES!"** Gaia crumbled into a tornado of soil and grass, but her essence seemed to churn more sluggishly.

If they gained any more altitude, the air would be too thin to breathe. Jason would be too weak to control it. Piper's talk of exhaustion affected him, too, sapping his strength, making his body feel heavy.

"What you want," Piper continued, "more than victory, more than revenge … you want rest. You are so weary, so incomprehensibly tired of the ungrateful mortals and immortals.'

" **I – YOU DO NOT SPEAK FOR ME – YOU CANNOT –"**

"You want one thing," Piper said soothingly, her voice resonating through Jason's bones. "One word. You want permission to close your eyes and forget your troubles. You – want – SLEEP."

Gaea solidified into human form. Her head lolled, her eyes closed, and she went limp in Festus's claw.

Unfortunately, Jason started to black out too.

The wind was dying. The storm dissipated. Dark spots danced in his eyes.

"Leo!" Piper gasped for breath. "We only have a few seconds. My charmspeak won't –"

"I know!" Leo looked like he was made of fire. Flames rippled beneath his skin, illuminating his skull. Festus steamed and glowed, his claws burning through Jason's shirt. "I can't contain the fire much longer. I'll vaporize her. Don't worry. But you guys need to leave."

"No!" Jason said. "We have to stay with you. Piper's got the cure. Leo, you can't –"

"Hey." Leo grinned, which was unnerving in the flames, his teeth like molten silver ingots. "I told you I had a plan. When are you going to trust me? And by the way – I love you guys."

Festus's claw opened, and Jason and Piper fell.

Jason had no strength to stop it. He held on to Piper as she cried Leo's name, and they plummeted earthwards.

Above them there was an explosion, but it was not one of fire. Just as Festus glowed as if about to detonate, Gaea's form exploded outwards in an explosion of earth that dwarfed anything she'd tried earlier easily smothering the comparatively small explosion of fire that the dragon unleashed.

"NO!" Jason screamed, over the howling winds as he continued to fall to the earth.

His voice was not the only one, as it was echoed by every demigod on the field as they watched what they feared was their best hope for victory disappear.

_Do not despair just yet everyone._ A voice that Jason's grief addled mind could not recognize whispered into his ear.

How could he not though, as he saw Gaea create a new avatar far below as he finally gathered his wits enough to level off his flight.

" **To think that mere demigods would believe they ever had any hope of defeating a protogenos? What hubris!"** Gaea scoffed as her new avatar loomed over the battlefield.

Suddenly, the whole world faded into grayscale. The sky, the earth, the plants, everything but the battling monsters and demigods and Gaea's avatar, all uniformly became a shade of grey.

" **If demigods are not up to the task,"** A voice hissed through the very fabric of the world. " **Then what about a fellow Greater Protogenos?"**

With that an immense rift opened in the skies above Camp Half-Blood.

Looking through the portal, Jason felt hope stir within him once more. For beyond this tear in reality he could see a single massive floating fortress as it slowly drifted out of the portal. It was like Olympus, a mountain floating in mid-air but unlike the city of the gods, this mountain was very clearly built for war. On its peak were massive walls lined with battlements and punctuated by towers. On its underside, protected by walls of solid armor plating, was a port from which now streamed hundreds of the assault skimmers that Jason had heard Percy describe Ophis' troops using in the Battle of New Rome. Together these and the fortress' many, many weapons rained down death on Gaea's armies. At the same time, larger skimmers, obviously transports were flying down towards the battlefield hopefully laden with reinforcements.

"Ophis." Piper breathed in awe.

"Yeah." Jason agreed, equally stupefied by what his aunt had brought to bear. "We might win this after all."

Piper only nodded, still too shocked to say anything.

* * *

From atop one of the walls of her flying fortress, Ophis watched as her transports disgorged her armies onto the field. Leading the vanguard were by no less than her uncles, the Titans Koios and Bob and the Gigantes Damasen. All determined to fight to end their mother's madness. Leading the second wave and the bulk of her forces were Ophis' greatest servants Fidi Douli and Calypso. Even her very own daughter Lily had stepped up and was working with Captain Hux and Alabaster to lead the rearguard.

Caught by surprise with her sudden arrival, the Earth Mother's forces were pushed back by the fury of her warriors.

Playfully spinning [Reality Canvas] in her hands, Ophis addressed Gaea. "Like my war chariot, sister? I call it the Rock of Eternity."

Despite the din of battle, her taunt easily carried across the wooded valley and into the ears of everyone present. Proof of this came in the gasp her brother Chiron gave, as he recited the Prophecy of the Seven:

_Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,_  
To Rock's master, the world must fall,  
An oath to keep with a final breath,  
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death

Ophis couldn't help the smirk that spread across her face as he chuckled and finally put the puzzle pieces together. The Prophecy had never said that Gaea was destined to win like he'd feared, No, it had instead foreshadowed that _she_ , the master of the Rock of Eternity, would be the one to defeat the Earth Mother.

Now it was only a matter of fulfilling that Prophecy.

While Ophis had been gloating at her magnificent entrance, Gaea had gone apoplectic and had began literally spewing lava from the pores of her avatar. It look her a minute but she finally managed to regain some of her calm, and leveling a dark glare at her sister she bellowed.

" **Ophis! Die!"**

A declaration that she accompanied by hurling mountain sized chunks of earth at the Rock.

Unfazed, Ophis snapped her symbol of power open. This had the effect of conjuring immense screens of power with a black and white checkerboard design into existence directly in front of her chariot that handily intercepted the projectiles by disintegrating them on contact.

She wasn't done with just that however, and pulling a trigger on the handle of [Reality Canvas], she unleashed a massive beam of power from its tip that slammed into Gaea and disintegrated half her body.

The Earth Mother howled in agony for a moment at the grievous injury but this quickly shifted into laughter as the avatar began to heal.

" **Idiot sister! Did you perchance forget that we cannot be killed within our own domains?"**

"Of course, I remember that!" Ophis said with a huff. "That was just a little love tap to let you know to take me seriously is all."

With that, the younger protogenos jumped off the Rock while imitating Mary Poppins and using her parasol as a makeshift parachute as she was consumed by a golden light.

As the light faded, it revealed Ophis in her true form and flying like an arrow to slam into Gaea's avatar. The Earth Mother grunted at the impact but quickly set her feet into the ground and grabbing hold of the Great Serpent's head tossed her much larger bulk aside. Rather than reorienting herself the old-fashioned way, Ophis simply teleported into a steady flight vector above Gaea and breathed a brace of beams that cured through the air at her opponent.

The older protogenos responded by calling up walls of stone to intercept the beams, but they just curved around them to slam into her avatar to tear chunks of flesh from it.

" **That tickles, sister."** Geaa said with a mocking laugh as she repaired her avatar. Simultaneously, she retaliated by summoning a dozen volcanoes around her position and had them fire jets of lava at Ophis who gracefully flew around them.

" **Does it now, Geaa?"** Ophis shot back, while flapping her wings harshly once and unleashing a storm of reality blades at her sister. " **Tell me, does your healing feel as easy as it was a minute ago? Hmm."**

Gaea tried to evade the barrage by collapsing into dust and reforming elsewhere but was shocked when although she could transform, she could not in fact merge back into the Earth.

" **Wha-"** She managed before the reality blades tore into her and she cut herself off with a scream. To add insult to injury, Ophis pressed the attack and breathed a massive fireball at the Earth Mother setting the older protogenos' avatar ablaze and forcing her back into her humanoid form.

Circling over her temporarily incapacitated foe, Ophis decided to be generous and offer her an explanation. " **You see when I charged you at the beginning of this fight I encased you in a distorted space, effectively trapping your essence in your avatar and cutting it off from the Earth. It takes time to fully cut the connection though, but once done like now? My new Dimensional Cage will make it** _ **so**_ **much easier when fighting with other protogenoi."**

" **Curse you Ophis! You think your little cage can hold me?"** Gaea retorted as she began to glow, her power fighting against that of Ophis' cage which due to the strain put on it manifested itself as a visible skin-tight layer of black and white energy that encased the Earth Mother.

With an application of her will, the Cage tightened on Gaea in a bid to continue to keep her contained. But it was starting to show the strain as visible cracks began to form across its surface.

Acting quickly the Great Serpent swooped down, coiled herself around the struggling Gaea and dragged her into the air. She had barely made it a hundred feet into the air when the Cage shattered. Immediately, Gaea tried to fall back to the Earth by turning her avatar into loose soil. Ophis was having none of that and responded by distorting the space all around them so she could not escape while at the same time breathing her flames on her to force her to stay in her humanoid shape.

Realizing that she could not escape that way, Gaea resorted instead to more physical methods. Hardening the flesh of her avatar into diamond, the Earth Mother began pounding her sister's body. Each blow of the hard material was empowered with the full extent of the older protogenos' power and rage, making it at least the equivalent to all the energy of a tectonic collision unleashed in a single blow. Perhaps even more. It was power that protogenoi were barred by the laws of Chaos itself from bringing to bear on lesser beings. Unfortunately for Ophis, Gaea was her equal and she was forced to endure the full extent of her sister's immense power.

" **How long can you endure this, sister?"**

The Great Serpent bore the agony with naught but a pained hiss even as Gaea's blows tore through her Dimensional Armor and began piercing holes deep into her flesh. Her golden ichor flowed freely from her growing wounds but Ophis refused to yield, continuing to keep her coils tight and the space around the Mother of Titans and Giants distorted.

" **Long enough!"** Ophis finally deigned to reply as she continued to breath her flames over the other protogenoi even as Gaea adapted and began smothering any flames that touched her body by drawing it into her flesh and extinguishing it within. Within mere moments, Ophis' flames had transformed the distorted space into a giant ball of raging black and white fire. A black and white sun that shone down on Camp Half-Blood and the battle waging around it.

_There. We've reached critical mass._ Ophis concluded as the flames grew to such an intensity that even she, their creator, was being burned by their power. " **Time to die sister."**

Without giving Gaea a chance to responded, Ophis caused the fireball to implode.

* * *

**Well, that was one epic battle, huh? Well, I hope it was anyways.**

**Let me know what you think.**

**This story is almost done. It's only the epilogue left.**

**So till then, see you.**


	20. A new Power Enthroned

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Riordanverse.**

**Rise of a new Power**

**Chapter 19: A new Power Enthroned**

**Betas: None so far, you're welcome to apply**

* * *

Nico like practically everyone on the battlefield, demigod or monster, Greek or Roman, had all stopped fighting to look up into the sky as Ophis dragged Gaea's avatar into the air once more. They watched with bated breath as the Earth Mother pummeled her younger sister so hard with her diamond fists that even the extraordinary armor of the Protogenos of Time and Space shattered and her flesh was torn into. They looked on as even despite having her body being brutalized, his Little Sister refused to give up and continued to keep Gaea trapped in a bubble of distorted space while she bathed her in flames. They all gasped in awe as the sheer volume of those flames transformed the bubble into a veritable second sun. And they were all temporarily blinded as that sun imploded with an intense burst of light, power and heat.

The shockwave of the implosion, somehow - probably Ophis' doing - washed over the good guys harmlessly but incinerated any servant of Gaea it touched and reduced them to ash. As if his showoff of a Little Sister was still not done, a moment later the remaining forces of Gaea, who were by now panicking, spontaneously imploded.

They had won! After the long, hard war, they had finally won. Was it any wonder that the cheer that the victors gave seemed to shake the world.

The son of Hades didn't join in though, he was a little too preoccupied with a bloodied Ophis materializing right next to him

"Oph-" He had barely opened his mouth to call her name, when her eyes rolled up into her sockets and she crashed to the ground in a dead faint at his feet.

"Ophis!" Nico shouted out in alarm, even as Will rushed to attend to her.

_Will will make sure she's alright._ The Ghost King told himself as he fell to his knees next to his unconscious sister. He was beyond thankful to whatever god had seen fit to have the son of Apollo be by his side right now.

Said healer was just checking Ophis' vitals, when the Gigantes Damasen rode up on his Drakon and jumped off to check on her as well. He was soon followed by Koios, Bob, Fidi and Lily who all teleported to their position.

Together they formed a concerned circle of family as Damasen took over from Will who came over to Nico's side and gave him a reassuring squeeze to his shoulder.

It seemed an eternity, but really must have only been a couple of minutes, before Damasen turned to the group. Which by this point had grown to include Hazel and her horse Arion, Frank, Alabaster and Hux.

"She's fine," The Gigantes declared to sighs of relief from everyone. "Just exhausted."

Going to his Little Sister's side, Nico took her hand into his so much larger one and gave it a squeeze. "I'm totally not letting you fight another Greater Protogenoi again."

Will gave Nico's shoulder another comfortingly squeeze.

" _We'll_ make sure she doesn't need to. Not for a long, long time." The son of Apollo said with determination, even as the assembled demigods nodded. The immortals looked skeptical of the statement, but Nico honestly didn't care what they thought. They'd made a promise and even without an Oath on the Styx they had every intention to keep it.

Nico shot him a grateful look.

"Is Ophis alright?" Miranda Gardiner asked as she arrived alongside Reyna, Percy and Annabeth on one of Ophis' skimmers that they had apparently commandeered.

Before anyone could reply, Ophis' body suddenly began to glow gold. Reacting instinctively, Nico along with his fellow demigods quickly shut their eyes.

"There is no need." Bob informed them, sounding amused.

"Nico?" A weak voice, that sounded a lot like Ophis' said.

The son of Hades snapped his eyes open to find himself holding the hand of a stunning woman in her twenty somethings but still dressed in the gothic lolita style that Ophis favored.

She looked different, but Nico recognized her all the same. He would recognize her in any form.

Without hesitation he pulled his sister into a hug. "Don't scare like that again, Little Sister."

"I'll try not to." The older than usual Ophis replied, as she returned the hug.

"Um. Not to be rude or anything. But is that really Ophis?" Percy asked with his usual lack of tack. Nico had found it endearing once, but right now he just wanted to deck the son of Poseidon for ruining the moment.

Luckily for Jackson, Damasen decided to explain and stop him from putting his foot into his mouth again. "Yes, it is. She has simply finally reached her maturity and has thus gained access to an adult form."

"Adult form?" Ophis whispered inquisitively, as she pulled away from the hug. "Nico, help me up. I want to see how I look."

Nico happily obliged. Once standing Ophis looked her new guise up and down excitedly, even spinning around a few times to test things out.

"How do I look?" She asked at last.

Everyone gave a chorus of approving statements. And none of them were lying, Ophis looked gorgeous. Like she was some supermodel fresh off a runaway. Nico made a mental note to be very, very careful about his sister's potential suitors.

His thoughts were interrupted by Lily as the little snake seemed to finally run out of patience and rushed to coil herself around her mother.

"You look beautiful, Mommy." The snake said as she kissed Ophis' cheek. "Better than Auntie Calypso even!"

"Thank you, sweetie." Ophis told her daughter while stroking her scales affectionately. "Speaking of Calypso, where is she? Or Leo, Piper and Jason?"

The demigods all exchanged uneasy looks.

"Cowards." Koios said with a shake of his head, and pointed to the crashed remains of Festus in the distance. "They're all over there, niece."

Ophis nodded and with a blink everyone suddenly found themselves next to the wreckage.

The teleport didn't seem to agree with his sister though and she fell to her knees immediately upon arrival.

"Mommy?" Lily asked worriedly, even as Nico and Fidi rushed to her side and helped her get back to her feet.

"It's nothing, Lily." The Great Serpent reassured everyone with a smile. "It's just my sense of balance is all off in this new form.

Koios broke into a laugh at this, "Of course it is. Did you expect to be used to your new mature nature right from the beginning?"

Bob shook his head and elbowed his brother in the ribs, before offering Ophis a reassuring smile. "You'll get used to it with time."

"Okay. But for now," Ophis said as she glowed gold for a moment before transforming back into her familiar form as a nine year old. "I like this better."

"Pay up, brother." Bob said with a smirk as he held out his hand to Koios.

The Titanic Lord of the North grunted but nevertheless nodded, "When we get back to Ogygia."

"Are you betting on me?" Ophis asked glaring at the two Titans, who paled slightly at her displeasure.

While all this was happening, the other demigods plus Damasen had rushed over to help free Leo from where he had been pinned under the wreck of Festus. Looking on helplessly, Calypso was crying uncontrollably as she struggled to lift the debris off Leo with her magic and the help of Piper and Jason.

With the help of so many people, especially Damasen and his Drakon, they finally lifted the pile of misshapen Celestial Bronze that had all but buried the son of Hephaestus.

As the Gigantes pulled him from the wreckage, Nico could tell he was already dead. He didn't even need his powers as a son of Hades to know that. It was clear from just how limp his body was and how deathly pale his normally bronzed complexion was.

"Save him! Please!" Calypso screamed at Damasen pleadingly.

"I'm sorry, Calypso, but I cannot revive the dead."

"But this can!" Piper declared, handing a vial of potion to the giant. "It's the Physician's Cure."

Calypso perked up at this and looked at the vial hopefully.

The bane of Ares examined it for a moment, before shaking his head. "This is a fake."

At this revelation, Calypso collapsed to her knees and began sobbing.

Frowning, Ophis walked up to the scene and Nico and the others followed.

"My Lady!" Calypso cried, crawling to Ophis' side and prostrating herself before her. "Surely you can do something."

Ophis nodded to her assistant's heartfelt appeal and turned towards the remains of the bronze dragon.

"O mighty Festus! Great Bronze Dragon, provide that which would save your master."

Almost immediately steam spewed from all over Festus' cracked frame and finally a panel popped open to reveal a syringe filled with a familiar potion.

"Is that-"

"The real Physician's Cure," Ophis explained as she nodded to Damasen who grabbed the syringe and in one smooth motion injected the potion straight into Leo's heart.

"Argh! Who stabbed me!" Leo shouted as he came back to life.

Damasen just smiled and removed the syringe and took a step to the side, narrowly avoiding Calypso as she threw herself onto Leo and pulled him into a crushing hug while crying tears of joy.

"Missed you too, Sunshine." The newly revived son of fire said as he returned the hug,

Ophis just smiled as the boy was promptly swarmed by his friends.

"This was what I was fighting for." The Great Serpent confessed, looking at the heartwarming scene. "Friends and family."

"Well, we've won." Nico said putting an arm over her shoulder and pulling her close. "So let's enjoy it."

"Yeah."

* * *

It was a week after the Battle of Half-Blood Hill and Ophis was getting a briefing from Calypso about the status of things in her Ogygia office.

"So Nico is staying in Camp?" Ophis asked with a knowing grin.

The Titaness nodded. "Yes, and spending a lot of time with Will Solace if our sources are correct."

"What a shame Nico took so long to get over Percy." Ophis sighed. "If he was a little less slow about it, I might have won the betting pool."

Calypso arched a brow at that. "You were on gambling on your brother's love life?"

"A little?" Ophis offered hesitantly.

"And you still decided to find fault with your uncles for gambling about you?"

"Sorry." The Great Serpent said, chastised. "Talking about my uncles. How are they doing?"

Calypso's eyes narrowed, catching the obvious deflection but deciding not to pursue it.

"Bob, and let me tell you that Iapetus' new name is really hard to get used to." Calypso said with a shake of her head.

"I know. Blame Percy."

"Why is it that almost everything that hurts our heads to think about is his fault?"

"He has a knack for creating things like that?" Ophis suggested with a shrug.

"You're probably right." Calypso agreed. "Anyway, as I was saying, Bob is doing a surprisingly good job as the founder and head of Ogygia's Public Utilities and Cleanliness Committee. Where in the world did his dedication to cleanliness come from?"

"That one's Big Brother Hades' fault."

"At least it's not Percy again."

"Yeah. Moving on, how's Uncle Koios doing as the new army chief?"

"That depends on who you ask? Hux and Alabaster? They love him." Calypso informed her liege. "He's increased the skill of our troops by their estimate at least twenty percent. Ask the warriors themselves? Well, they're pretty much begging for him to be reassigned. He's apparently quite a scary taskmaster."

"I'll have a word with him. Ask him to tone things down."

"The troops will appreciate it."

"The Campers? How are they doing?"

"Both the Romans and the Greeks in general are doing well. The former have already began their pullout of New York and are on their way back to New Rome. Though not all of them are leaving, apparently the two Camps have agreed to something of a cultural exchange."

"Who's staying?" Ophis asked curiously. Knowing who was where would make her life a whole lot easier when she chose to go visiting friends.

"Jason will serve as Pontifex Maximus for both sides and shuttle between both camps as he arranges for temples and shrines to be built at both to _all_ the gods." Ophis moved to interrupt but Calypso preempted her. "And yes, that includes to you as well, My Lady."

Ophis blushed, but said nothing and let her assistant continue.

"Piper is following him around and helping out whenever her schedule permits. Besides that none of your friends have moved around. Though some Romans interested in the healing arts have flocked to Camp Half-Blood to learn from _the_ Chiron and several children of Bacchus have decided to stay at Camp Half-Blood as well, since Dionysius is there as Camp Director."

"Anything else?"

"Well, they agreed that both camps will be made open to both Roman and Greek demigods. This has been particularly well received by the Greeks who are enthused about the idea of college in New Rome. It seems Percy and Annabeth intend to go there once they finish High School."

Ophis nodded, and caught sight of the clock as she did so.

"Why don't we call it a day, Calypso? Don't you need to get ready for your date?" Ophis said with a smirk knowing full well that the sorceress and Leo had a date scheduled for later that evening. "He's taking you flying on that robot dragon of his, isn't he?"

"Festus, yes." The older woman confirmed. "He just finished repairing him, so we're taking him out for a test flight. But it's still early and we still have to discuss our plans for the takeover of Triumvirate Holdings."

Ophis waved the concern away. "We can worry about that later. I've already eaten the three wannabes and their Imperial households, so the rest is really just formalities."

"But formalities are important." Calypso protested. "It took our accounting department months to track them down and our enemies already used the resources they provided to fund wars against us. _Twice_. We have to be certain they are dealt with properly!"

"And we will." Ophis reassured her. "But it's getting late and right now all I want to do is go home and spend some time with Lily. I think Fidi deserves a break from babysitting too, don't you?"

_Besides Rhea has enough ammo about me neglecting Lily already. I don't want to give her any more._

"If you're sure, My Lady." Calypso said hesitantly.

"Do I need to make it an order?"

Calypso sighed and finally nodded her acceptance.

"Good, then let's go home."

Ophis waited for Calypso to leave her office before eying the piles of paperwork on her desk and let out a frustrated sigh.

"If I knew all the work I'd end up doing if I became a major power, I wouldn't have done it." She grumbled insincerely. For she knew that given a second chance she would walk the same path all over again. It had many pitfalls, but this path was what led her to where she was today. A great power in the supernatural world that was feared and respected by her peers, who could use that influence in addition to her strength and those of her armies to do what most important to her.

Keep her friends and family safe.

To ensure that alone, she would endure her tumultuous rise to power a thousand times over if need be.

With this determination burning bright within her, Ophis, the Protogenos of Time and Space, Great Serpent and Slayer of Gaea teleported home.

* * *

**And done! This story is done!**

**Finally after literally** _**years** _ **of sitting half finished on my Google Drive, it's finally complete. I couldn't be happier that it's done. Hopefully, it was as fun a read for you as it was for me to write.**

**This however doesn't mark the end of this verse. There is still one more snippet collection/story that I have planned as a sort of epilogue to my first fanfic universe.**

**So onto a few things this chapter. Firstly, yes I got rid of the Triumvirate. I think the whole undead Roman Emperors thing is stupid so I got rid of them. Unhappy? Well, too bad. This is my verse! That said, I do have some minor plans for Meg in the future. So you might see me play around with her in the future.**

**Second, Ophis' talk about the end where she makes her rise to power as being exceptionally difficult? Yeah, that's from her POV. It's not supposed to be objectively true. Even if there's some grain of truth in it, namely when she was Kronos' prisoner, for the most part she had an easy ride of it. Then again, that's the case for many gods. Hermes, Athena, Ares I'm looking at you guys.**

**And that's about it really. So until see you guys in my next story whenever and whatever that might be.**


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